Short-billed Dowitcher in Pierce County

![SBDO at Wapato Creek 2022-07-22 1.jpg](
In Pierce County, WA we have precious little habitat for migratory shorebirds in the fall. A new area of wetland mitigation has been developed in the Port of Tacoma tideflats, a joint venture between the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Port of Tacoma, that has recently become accessible to birders, and the first uncommon species for the county was found there yesterday, this adult Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, seen here with a Killdeer *Charadrius vociferus * in the background.
We have two species of Dowitcher in Washington, the Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus which tends to inhabit freshwater areas, and the more coastal Short-billed Dowitcher which tends to prefer saltwater beaches, and is found primarily near the open coast. Most years one or two Short-billed Dowitchers are found in our county, but not nearly as often as their Long-billed Dowitcher look-alike cousins.
It is really difficult to tell the adults in fall apart. On this bird you can see the spots rather than bars of glack on the neck and breast, the paler belly, and in other photos the slightly longer primary projection on the wingtips.
I was pretty happy to add this species to my county year list this morning.

As you can see there is nothing short about this bird's bill, and the name is misleading. The female SBDO bill is essentially the same length as the male LBDO bill, both really long.
Good birding.