AjaA

Hi,

Today, 12th, Antero and I saw the Spoon-billed Sandpiper at 9.55 from the outermost hide toward SSW. It stayed for only 5 min together with some Curlew Sands.
Yesterday, 11th, we saw it first on the rising tide from the outermost hide even further out toward SW. It also showed very briefly. On the receding tide we saw it from the Society hide at about 15-15.30. On the 10th we did not see the bird on either tide. On the 9th we saw it only on the receding tide. On the 8th it was seen on both rising and receding tides. As far as I can make out, it has been the same bird every time. We have photographs of it from only two of the sightings.

Annika

Eurpyg_20120311_MaiPo_3597.jpg (114.41 KB)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper

12/03/2012 14:47

Eurpyg_20120311_MaiPo_3432.jpg (190.24 KB)

12/03/2012 14:47

Eurpyg_20120311_MaiPo_3487.jpg (151.29 KB)

12/03/2012 14:47

AjaA

Today 4 April we saw a Spoon-billed Sandpiper again, the first one since we returned from a holiday on 23 March. We spent the morning in the outer hide. The tide rose fairly slowly and stopped just short of 2 soon after 9am. There were plenty of waders on the mudflats, and more Sandpipers than we've seen so far this spring. At about 10am, when the water had started to recede, I found the Spoony walking along the edge of the water. It was not feeding. It was not in a flock, but there were plenty of other birds feeding fairly close. After only a few minutes it flew off north, and I lost it when it went behind the corner of the hide. We could not find it again. As it only showed its left side, we cannot say for sure whether it is the same bird as in March, but I could see nothing to eliminate that possibility. It seemed to be in winter plumage. No photographs were obtained.

AjaA

Hi,

To us it looks like wleepoin's photographs show one and the same bird. That bird seems not to be the same as the one(s) photographed by John Holmes in March. It would be nice to see photos of the 2 birds seen from the outer hide today.....

AjaA

Today the more summer-plumaged bird showed for a couple of minutes just before 8 in front of the old hide, after which there was a general scare. Although there was plenty of time to look for it later before high tide, it could not be relocated. Nor was it seen on the falling tide, although the heavy rain forced me and some others to stay in the hides until 15.30. Thank you Jemi for finding it.

It seems to be the same bird as in John's pics based on feather detail.

AjaA

On Friday 20 April the Spoon-billed Sandpiper spent an hour on the falling tide on the green south of the outer hide. It was raining fairly hard and was quite dark, but I am attaching this pic as a document of the record. It was the same partly summer-plumaged bird that was seen on the two previous days.