The Deskbound Birder: Semipalmated Sandpiper

Showing posts with label Semipalmated Sandpiper. Show all posts

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Oxey Marsh, Lymington - 19th November

On a dreary November day with occasional showers I headed down to Oxey Marsh to have a look at the Semipalmated Sandpiper which was found at the site on 16th November. At first this bird was considered to be a Western Sandpiper but the dark cap, pale rufous fringes to the scapulars and bill shape identify this bird as a Semipalmated Sandpiper, albeit a rather long billed bird. I watched the bird for around an hour as it fed at fairly close range on the pool often loosely associating with a Dunlin. A short walk produced a female Long-tailed Duck, three Spotted Redshank and two Greenshank on Oxey Lagoon, 15 Eider and six Red-breasted Merganser on the Solent. My eBird checklist for the morning can be seen here.

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Oxey Marsh, Lymington

I have just started to use the video function on my Olympus E-M1X. Struggling
with focus at the moment but here are a few clips of the Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Long-tailed Duck - Oxey Lagoon, Lymington

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

Alaska - 7th June (Day 11)

We were up early at 04:30 and headed to Anchorage Airport for a 07:25 flight to Nome landing at 08:45. We collected our car and checked into the Hotel Aurora having booked the Hotel Polaris. We heard the Polaris was a little like the movie ‘Pyscho’ so enquired at the Hotel Aurora, the best hotel in town which was full when I originally tried to book. Fortunately, the hotel had had a couple of cancellations and we were into the Aurora somewhat relieved. After grabbing some pic-nic supplies we headed out into the field and birded the Council Road as far as to Mile 52. Birding the tundra, creeks and Safety Sound plus the higher tundra and mountains beyond Bonanza Creek. It was fantastic birding with numerous Aleutian Tern, Semipalmated Sandpiper on the tundra, Black Brant, Surfbird in summer plumage, Sanderling, Black Turnstone and for me one of the highlights of the trip, numerous summer plumage Long-tailed Skua. We spent some time birding the inlet to Safety Sound where we had great views of stunning Surfbird in summer plumage, Western Sandpiper, Black Turnstone and Semipalmated Sandpiper. At a distant, I picked up there waders on the sandbar and I puzzled as to what they were, as I walked a little closer their black marked plumage, rufous scapulars and down curved bulls identified them as Great Knot, a very rare bird on mainland Alaska. Further along the highway we spent sometime taking photos of an old steam train stuck in the mudflats before heading up hill to Mile 48 a Gyrfalcon nest on a cliff top was seen and also here were Rough-legged Buzzard, Wilson’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Grey-cheeked Thrush. We crashed at around 01:00 after a great afternoons birding.