A couple of days ago I sent the photos to my old birder buddy in California and he replied this morning:Greg Beetham wrote:I sifted through pages of Plovers, Sandpipers, Stints, Knots, Dowitchers, Tattlers, Greenshanks, Redshanks and Curlews and the closest I can get, so far, is a non breeding Lesser Yellowlegs (can’t actually see the legs to confirm the colour), it’s a wader related too the Redshanks and Greenshanks.
The other one is a Frigatebird for sure, it doesn’t appear in my book which has three species listed for our waters but whatever species it is I think it’s a Juvenile.
The first bird was harder for me. It was obviously a Frigatebird, but what sex and age due to the spotting in the white? It is a juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird and is a 3rd or 4th year bird and could be either sex. The 1st year white has a different pattern and the second year is clean white with no dark feathers. I had to look this one up in the books.
The second bird appears to be a Willet in breeding plumage with its straight bill. A Godwit would have a distinctly upturned bill which would have a flesh-colored base, not gray or bluish. Most birds have a black tip on their bills since they are black because of the melanin content which makes the parts more resistant to wear. Notice that the flight feathers of most birds are black as are many bill tips.
By the way, is a photo of a birder close enough in a bird photo thread?
Since Rod provided the answer I will immortalize him by posting a photo I took of him while birding in California more than 20 years ago.
