hkwongkit

Their bills look a little shorter than Curlew Sandpiper. What are they?
Id appreciated!



MPNR, 14 Sep 2012

handrew

I would say these are Dunlin, KK but others may correct me.

ddavid

Great Knot?

kmike

I'd go for Great Knot too - Dunlin doesn't have a white rump Andrew.

Cheers
Mike

ajohn

Another vote for Great Knot, but the lighting seems to be making the wingbar on some look more obvious than usual.

ddavid

Yes. I think KK has enhanced the contrast and sharpened the image in post-production - something most (all?) digital photographers do to make the image more strikingly effective.

Nothing wrong with that, but it can sometimes have the effect of exaggerating certain features with the result that the birds may not appear quite as they would in the field through binoculars or a scope. So I'm not sure that the rumps of Gt Knot normally appear so strikingly white as they do in the photo; the same with the contrastingly dark primaries and primary coverts.

David

hkwongkit

Andrew, Mike, David and John,
Thanks for getting back!
What confused me was their distinctive white rump.
Apart I think it has all the field markings of Great Knot inflight ...

NB  As for any post-production enhancement, only a small amount of sharpening and slight boost of contrast were applied to counteract our much polluted air space and dreadful light.