Black-tailed Godwit in winter plumage wading in mud

Black-tailed Godwit in winter plumage wading in mud and flexing its upper mandible so that it bends near the tip.

#birdoftheday is this Black-tailed Godwit on the River Deben at Melton, demonstrating that odd-looking ability some long-billed #birds have for #rhynchokinesis; flexing of the mandible.
#birding #birdbehaviour #UKbirding #birdingSuffolk

Gosforth Park view - Bittern flew out of reedbed at the far side and vanished left behind the bushes

Common Snipe with its bill bent open (rhynchokinesis), they have a joint in the bill to do this.

Guillemot swimming slowly backwards at Walker Riverside, trying to go east but being carried west upstream by the rising tide. My first on the Tyne for a couple of years.

Guillemot swimming slowly backwards at Walker Riverside, trying to go east but being carried west upstream by the rising tide. My first on the Tyne for a couple of years.

Gossy this am, a brief half-second flight view of a Bittern, #128 on the green patch yearlist, but no pic; also this Snipe doing #rhynchokinesis 😃
This pm, a Guillemot on the Tyne made #129 and got my #SuperSeabirdSunday pic too 🤩 @steelyseabirder.bsky.social
#LowCarbonBirding #NEBirding #PWC2025

Ok so I think my work here is done. Here’s a little video of a Jack Snipe bobbing about, leg stretching, wing stretching low down, wing stretching above and a cheeky bit of distal rhynchokinesis thrown in at the end for good measure #rhynchokinesis