Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa
Pictures by Ray Tipper - More about Ray...
More about Ray Tipper
Ray Tipper began his birding on the North Kent Marshes at the age if eleven. He left his native Britain in 1973 spending most of the next 22 years in Hong Kong. As a trustee of WWF he was intimately involved with its renowned Mai Po Nature Reserve. It was in Hong Kong that Ray turned to bird photography, which quickly became his major interest. He gained associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1990, and his photographs appear in journals and books throughout the world. Ray guides specialist birdwatching and bird photography tours and since 1997 has led more than 100 tours in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Madagascar. He now lives in the Algarve, where his intimate knowledge of its birds has been recognised by his appointment as Chairman of the Portuguese Rarities Committee.
Algarve. Note very plain plumage of an adult in winter.
Tavira. Adult in breeding plumage - probably a female
Another winter visitor to the Algarve, with a few presumed failed breeders returning as early as July. Unlike the Bar-tailed Godwit, it tends to shun the mudflats and favours the salt pans and marshy areas. Slightly larger than Bar-tailed, its longer bill is straight with just the merest hint of an up-curve in some individuals. Upperparts are plain grey-brown, lacking any blotching. In flight they are immediately recognizable by their bold black and white wing pattern. (Bar-tailed Godwit appears plain brown in flight with a pale wedge on the rump and lower back.) In breeding plumage, which many attain while still in the Algarve (much more unusual in Bar-tailed Godwit), they sport a bright orange-red neck and upper breast (females are paler).
Ludo salt pans. Note bold black and white wing pattern of birds in flight.
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