Dowitchers, non-breeding. Do these birds have the same size,structure or plumage details. If yes, stop what you are doing and look again.

Is one of these birds slightly smaller,shorter legged, more horizontal and flatter backed (Avocets not included)? It is a juv SBD looking typically orange.Left bird is a molting br. to non br. LBD,and the others have already molted into non br. A typical sept. scene.

Long-b.(right wings up) with Short-b's.The different underwing pattern is typical.SBD-upperpart feathers uniform pale grey with well defined pale fringe.LBD-darkest in centre fading to poorly defined pale fringe - looks 'grungy'.(see first photo)

Long-billed Dows. Yes there are plumage features to look at, but when birding start with size and shape. Long legged, fat(round) and very hunch backed. The heavily marked breast sides and vent with little in between is not shown on 'Hendersoni' SBD.

August. Centre bird - long legs,fat,hunch- backed body, heavily marked breast sides and rear flank with contrastingly little between - LBD. Right - smaller,'orange', uniform spotting down breast sides, palish upperparts - hendersoni. The rest variably duller,heavily marked on underparts with belly mostly whitish-griseus.Workshops usually have no problem learning to pick out LBD.

Juv Short-b.(5) with Lesser and Greater Y'legs.and Stilt Sands(3).

Oct. Juvs - The round fat one in the middle is a Long-b. Also 'Western' Willet.Juv LBD is fairly dull and often wrongly identified as in non br. plumage.

May.'hendersoni' SBD in center, Two LBD on either side. 'hendersoni' in spring to early fall differ from LBD in black upperpart feathers having variable internal bars - mostly orange. Orange underparts are evenly spotted down breast sides to vent.

Front right 'Hendersoni'. 2 LBDs - notice black centered feathers with white tips. Breast sides and vent heavily barred (chevrons) often with white tips. Contrastingly orange and unbarred between these two areas. (Not clearly shown in this picture).

Juv SBD. Black and white barring on the tail is extremely difficult to judge and is best not used for identification on standing birds.

Carinus (West Coast). Of the three races of SBD, this is the most similar to LBD in non-breeding plumage.

LBDs in flight.2 SBD lower right - paler, shorter bill and rarely in wing molt as early as LBD.LBD typically have a more contrasting underwing pattern with whiter lesser coverts.

LBDs, San Diego

'Hendersoni'. The even distribution of spots down the flanks is not shown in LBD. Also note the different internal feather markings.

Carinus. San Diego. Darker than the other races but still relatively flat-backed.

2 LBD and 3 SBD. Can you i.d. them? They have darker tails and remember the wing covert pattern and distribution of dark markings on the breast sides.