Huge Flock of Wintering Willets

A huge flock of Willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), in their Winter colors, adopts a Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) or two and a Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), all rising up in unison forming a zig zagging cloud of  wings, confounding hungry hawks.  Tijuana Estuarine Preserve, San Diego, California

Marbled Godwit with an Itch

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, with an itch. You ever get that itch that you just can't reach? Imagine if you had to scratch with your feet! This marbled godwit was taking a break from hunting for crustaceans and worms in the sand and was happily resting on one foot until...that itch came about...

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, feeding in the sand; Imperial Beach, California. How do they find anything under all that sand? I've been told they have tiny hairs along their beak that sense or perhaps smell the small worms and crustaceans they feed on.

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, feeding on bugs in the lush Spring foliage near the Mission River, San Diego, California. Ever wonder how many birds receive those odd sounding names? You guessed it, it's often based on the sound of their call. The Godwit has a call that sounds like kerwhit!..or alternately, godwit! Similarly, the Curlew (another long beaked shorebird) has a call that sounds like curleeeeeeuuu... It's weird seeing bird calls spelled out (complements of the Peterson's Guide) but, ironically, when I say it out loud, it does indeed remind me of the real thing. Who would have ever thought...

Godwit in the Setting Sun

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa in the setting sun; Tijuana Estuary Preserve. These guys breed in the grasslands of the Northern U.S. and Canada where they survive mostly on bugs. However, they spend their Winters along the California coast and on down into Northern South America. This one apparently decided to stay in Southern California over the summer and can be seen hunting for food in the sand.

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa. These guys were busy pulling food out of the sand with their long, thin beaks. I suspect they are eating small worms and crustaceans but have no idea how they can tell when they've found something.

Klingon Bird of Prey

I was clicking through my pictures and came to the amusing conclusion that these two Marbled Godwits, Limosa fedoa, bore a striking resemblance to a Klingon Bird of Prey. Well, perhaps if that long pointy beak wasn't there anyhow. There must have been a bird person on the Star Trek design staff.