Black-tailed Godwit, 5/18/2012

Last time on May 15th, 2012, I missed a chance to catch any image of a Black-tailed Godwit which appeared in Watzuwei Nature Reserve area. This time it is my main target. Other targets include the waterfowls which I had photographed but their pictures were out of focus. Luckily enough, when I arrived, the Black-tailed Godwit was still there. Unfortunately this time I didn't take the pictures well either. But fortunately, later on May 24th, another one appeared in Dayuan, Taoyuan County, and I took some better pictures out of that one. Since my camera is a compact digital camera, the pictures are still not good enough. I apologize if the pictures hurt your eye.

In Taiwan, Black-tailed Godwits are uncommon passage migrants. They are listed by IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) as "Near Threatened". They are not really that hard to be spotted here, since they pass by Taiwan every year on their way to their wintering destinations. This year they were spotted in Watzuwei Nature Reserve area of New Taipei City, Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park of Taipei City, Dayuan of Taoyuan County and Ilan County.


Black-tailed Godwit, photographed on 5/24/2012, at Dayuan, Taoyuan County



Black-tailed Godwit vs. Red Knot, photographed on 5/24/2012, at Dayuan, Taoyuan County



Black-Winged Stilt vs. Red Knot vs. Black-tailed Godwit, photographed on 5/24/2012, at Dayuan, Taoyuan County



Little Egret vs. Black-tailed Godwit vs. Great White Egret, photographed on 5/18/2012, at Watzuwei Nature Reserve area, Bali District, New Taipei City



Grey-tailed Tattlers and Black-tailed Godwit, photographed on 5/18/2012, at Watzuwei Nature Reserve area, Bali District, New Taipei City

Chinese name:	黑尾鷸
English name:	Black-tailed Godwit
Nickname:
Scientific name:	Limosa limosa
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Scolopacidae
Species status:	Species
Conservation status:	Near Threatened.
Migration status:	Passage migrant in Taiwan
Frequency of appearance:	Uncommon in Taiwan
Foods:	Insects, mollusks
Habitat:	Wetlands, outlets of rivers, mudflats of sea shores
Altitude:	Low altitude
Behavior:	Often appear in flocks in mudflats of sea shores, wetlands, swamps, outlets of rivers and wet farm fields, and mixed with other Scolopacidae and Charadriidae birds.
Characteristics:	General Characteristics: About 39 cm long. About the same size as Common Greenshank. Bill is long, starting with orange color and ending up black. The end of the tail is black. Feet are black. Summer Plumage: Head, neck and breast are reddish brown. Back is grayish brown. Lowerpart is mainly white, with vertical black stripes. Winter Plumage: A lighter version of Summer Plumage. Similar species:
Breeding places:	Ranging from Iceland to the Russian far east, including United Kingdom, Norway, Mongolia, northern China, Siberia, etc.
Migration destinations:	Wintering in southern Europe, Africa, Middle East, Australasia, etc.
Time photographed:	5/18/2012, 5/24/2012
Location found:	Dayuan, Taoyuan County
Sources:	Internet
Notes: