Slimbridge's Semipalmated Sandpiper

Morning mist at Slimbridge

A Crane on show with the many wildfowl

Screen photo of Slimbride Warden's Twitter Feed (@JamesSLees)

Hide before it got busy

Collins Guide

Lab of Ornithology Video

Last week bought a Semipalmated Sandpiper to Slimbridge however after being first reported on Tuesday the question would be whether it would stay until the weekend for the working birders. 

I arrived in plenty of time and spent some time in the hides on the Holden walkway. To be honest it was fairly quiet but it was good to see 20 Russian White-fronted Geese. In addition there was 150+ Barnacle Geese & three Grey Plover but viewing was difficult due to the early morning mist/fog. Two Skylarks were showing very well on the edge of the scrape.

I reached the Ziess hide an hour before high tide to find an already packed audience had assembled. The upper part of the hide was two deep with birders and twitchers. 

Next job was try and find the Sandpiper among 200 Dunlin and 2 Little Stints. Initially things were looking a bit bleak until a small Stint like was picked up in the Dunlin flock. We all had to wait until the Teal and Dunlin moved aside to get a clear view to confirm findings. Personally I was much happier when the bird woke up and started to feed. It was only then you could make out the stout shorter beak and less bright colouring on the back. Semipalmated Sandpipers are ground nesting waders from Canada & Alaska and are long distant migrants taking the long flight to costal South America. They can migrate in their thousands however on occasions single birds do arrive in Western Europe.  I found the above video online about Sandpipers on their breeding ground. The calls sound brilliant. As Slimbridge visits go it wasn't the best.

Other sightings included a Peregrine, Little Egret, 5 Common Crane, Grey Heron, 5 Greenshank, 8 Ringed Plover, 500+ Teal, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Knot, 10 Snipe.