Bar-tailed or Marbled Godwit & a Mystery Bird

[okaugust]

Godwit - today at Tokeland WA Marina. There has been a Bar-tailed in non-breeding plumage there over the last week until yesterday. The below bird is the only bird there that I could see that looked different from the other couple of dozen Marbled Godwits. I'm reviewing my photos against the previous sightings though, and the other bird seems well into less markings and more flat gray non-breeding plumage. Example here:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S94536538

Now I'm wondering if I just had a young Marbled instead.

 

 

 

 

It's a lifer for me, and the self doubt is strong with this one.

 

The other bird is, I think, a Song Sparrow with a pigmentation problem. We were walking the road at Julia Butler Hansen NWR in south-west WA, from the HQ to the end of the road, and it flushed in the brush from the ditch into the shrubbery. Both my husband we intrigued, because it was almost a creamsicle colored bird. Light orange almost with creamy coloring along the edges of the wings. I almost got it pshished out, but never got a clean look out in the open. It had a single, low pitched short call note. It's a lousy shot, but I thought I would throw it out there for the heck of it.

 

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

[AlexHenry]

Definitely a Bar-tailed Godwit, nice bird!

[HamRHead]

Wild thought, but the small bird has a female Black-throated Blue Warbler look about the face. The bill looks wrong, though. I'm really not sure.
Congrats on the life Bar-tailed! Cool shot with the two together!

[meghann]

The last bird, I *think* the bill is too small for Song. To me it's more along the lines of Chipping or a Bunting or something.

[okaugust]

The odd thing was the coloring almost reminded me of a female Western Tanager, but it was way, way too small for that.

 

Thanks for the confirm on the Godwit! Very much appreciated the help in finding and sharing a lifer! Ya'll are awesome!

[Kevin]

I would call it a spizella sparrow of some sort.

[Peromyscus]

Congrats on the Bar-tailed Godwit!

[Aidan B]

19 minutes ago, Kevin said:

I would call it a spizella sparrow of some sort.

Agreed, definitely leucistic. Probably not identifiable.

[okaugust]

Thanks all on the Godwit, and for playing along with the probably never to be fully IDd mystery creamsicle bird. 😄

[Seanbirds]

2 hours ago, HamRHead said:

Wild thought, but the small bird has a female Black-throated Blue Warbler look about the face. The bill looks wrong, though. I'm really not sure.

 

2 hours ago, meghann said:

The last bird, I *think* the bill is too small for Song. To me it's more along the lines of Chipping or a Bunting or something.

My first thought was Olive Sparrow! 🤣

[okaugust]

From your avatar, I understand why!