Short-billed Dowitcher, Twin Lakes, Boulder County

[Dan Zmolek]

Thanks to Bryan Guarente for the awesome post - explaining the weather dynamics in great detail. That got me thinking that I should study the Dowitchers at Twin Lakes more closely. So - knowing it is a difficult ID, especially this time of year - I reviewed details of what to look for, and went out for a look. This morning, there were still a dozen or so Dowitchers to study - on the east side of the mudflats in the west lake - in much better light than last night. They were mostly keeping very active, feeding in shallow water and moving quickly. I was initially able to see a smaller individual that had a shorter bill, but it was difficult to stay with or refind. After ~20 minutes, I had a few interesting looks, but nothing definitive. Interesting group to study; different size birds, different back curvatures. But mostly they were staying so active, that the bills were mostly obscured. Then a gull flew in, and scared some of them onto a patch of ice, where a few Dowitchers stayed still just long enough to get a good look at them. I saw at least one individual with a flat back, thicker base of bill and 'kink' towards the end of the bill - not curved. My conclusion is that there are one or more Short-Billed Dowitchers mixed in this flock. I was unable to get a photo, but perhaps these birds will hang around...

These birds are in the dog park, just south of Avery brewing - the west lake of Twin Lakes.

Good Birding,

Dan Zmolek
Gunbarrel