Wader ID help please

[GarySetterfield]

Hi everyone,
I'm still not convinced its a white-rump and you're right Alan i think more people should stick their heads above the parapet and make a call, the more feedback, the more chance of reaching a conclusion.
After looking at suzis blog the wood sand idea went right out the window, but hey, keep the IDs and discussion coming in, as has been said before, this is how we learn.
Gary

[Suzi]

Great to get all your feedback and discussion.

Pete and I went out to Manukapua this afternoon. It's been a busy day and we couldn't get away til 2pm and got there just after 3pm. The high tide was almost non-existent. A good high tide on the Kaipara is 4m+ but this was 3.6m receding today, and so even the high tide mark was a distant blue line. Good numbers of waders there despite that. We were there til 6pm and between us we have 400+ photos to sort through ! Pretty sure we have captured the sandpiper? again. Will do this as quick as possible now and post results soon - hopefully.

Suzi

[Rewi]

Yep, dead right Alan Shaw, it is a White Rumped Sand.of some kind.
I've now done my homework properly and there's plenty of material on
the web showing exactly this plumage. At first I'd have confidently
said that "I'm a monkey's uncle if that's a White-Rumped Sand" because
I've seen lots of them, and never come across that plumage, especially
the grey front. I've referred to my old field notes, and they confirm the
same, nothing like the bird in Suzi's pictures.
But now I've researched them on the web, it seems that all my observations
and those of hundreds of birders who saw them with me, were just plain wrong.
I still can't understand why the white rump is visible at all times like a
Curlew Sand. Never seen that in field on a White Rump.
You're never too old to learn. Well done Alan.
Now, where's my bananas...........

Rewi

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[Suzi]

Alas my mystery sandpiper species was not among the birds we photographed yesterday at Manukapua. The high tide was so low (3.6m around 3pm) that it was no help to bringing the birds up to the island and the sandpiper was presumably feeding or sheltering elsewhere in the blustery west-sou-wester that was blowing.

We were distracted by a couple of Red-necked Stint, but they are smaller and rounder than the bird I saw last Saturday.

What we did see included;
Pacific Golden Plover - 15+ among a flock of 80+ Turnstones on the salicornia near the crossing to the island
NZ Dotts - 8 adult pairs scattered at the north end of the island, including at the site where I saw the sandpiper sp on Saturday.
2 RN Stints and 1 Turnstone at the same place as the latter NZ Dotts
200+ mixed flock of BT Godwits and Knots out on the tidal sands, north end
200+ SIPO same area, but further out towards the tide edge
100+ WF Terns roosting just in front of the Godwits/Knots with adults coming and going, feeding juveniles
4 VOC in pairs
3 Caspian Terns
See photos below (of NZD and RNS) and others at my photoblog http://www.kiwibirdnz.blogspot.com

The next high, high tides are not until December 2nd to 7th, so that's the best time for anyone interested in having a look.

Suzi
(PS Posted this last night, but it got lost somehow, hence the delay)

[Suzi]

The NZD and Red-necked Stints at Manukapua yesterday

[Suzi]

I noticed one of the WFT (out at Manukapua yesterday) in this photo on right, carries a band on its left leg. Does anyone know who would be banding a WFT and where and when ?

Thanks, Suzi

[Shane McPherson]

hi all

on our visit on the 17th to Tapora I took these photos. It was foraging with the red-necked stints (and nz dotterel for size comaprisons) on the northern end of Manukuapa island. I initially thought it was just a hungry knot foraging away from the main congregations, but it peculiar behaviour and smallish size was enough to warrent taking some (grainy) pics. Now all this fuss has me hoping for something exciting. Massive numbers of godwit and knot.

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ah HA!
I knew it... thanks phil.

[philbattley]

Hi Shane,

A hungry knot it is! Sorry... Phil

[philbattley]

The suggestion has been made of a Sanderling, but I can't bring myself anywhere near to agreeing with that, unless the bird is incredibly bleached on all its wing feathers (or the flight shot is really blown out - that is possible as the ground shots make it look darker). But has anyone EVER seen a Sanderling in which the wing coverts and scaps were much darker than the head and neck?

Phil

Sav took a quick look and ventures to suggest sanderling...a number of features fit - contrasting supercilium/crown stripe (front on photo), broad wingbar, and size. Rump however is completely at odds...but...

Cheers,

[Suzi]

Looking at photos on the web of adult and juvenile Sanderlings in various stages of moult, I agree with Sav that apart from the very white rump, it COULD be a Sanderling that had perhaps moulted it's dark mid-tail and mid-rump feathers. But that's a big ask, and the white rump is surely more likely to be that of a White-rumped Sandpiper ?

Plus none of the photos of a Sanderling on the web, show the uniformly dark wings, nor do they have that lighter built, more upright stance of the wader that I saw.

Look at this photo of a moulting White-rumped Sandpiper at http://www.pbase.com/james_lowen/image/71989335
Or this one - http://www3.hi.is/~yannk/myndir/rarity/ ... 291005.jpg
Or this juvenile WRS at http://www.birdingworld.co.uk/CleyAutumn2006.htm

All of these have much more of the jizz of the wader that I saw last Saturday.

Maybe by the time I get back to photograph it (in two weeks), it will have finished moulting and the answer to its ID will be more self-evident !? (If I can find it!)

Best regards,
Suzi