This adventurous bird was poking around in the mud just below a grassy bank and decided to pop up and see the approaching photographer. Although there were other Dowitchers in a pond a couple of hundred metres away, this one was by himself in this pond. We're pretty sure this is a long-billed Dowitcher, but they look much the same as a short-billed Dowitcher, in fact the beaks are not much different in length. This bird kept quiet, but the ones further away were making the long-billed calls. The ponds were within about a kilometre from the ocean but were filled with fresh water, so either species could be present there. (The short-billed Dowitchers prefer salt water and the long-billed prefers fresh water)
Long-billed Dowitcher
