Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Kaipara South Head

[Tim Barnard]

What an engaging bird ... still present today though at different part of the site - roosting with NZ dotts and flirting with bemused Turnstones. It was close to the lagoon on the seaward side of the spit - just around the corner from the previously reported location. The bird treated us all (Ian, Gillian, Tony, Igor, Paul and Helen) to its characteristic courtship display, with wings held high and chest puffed out - it was signalling too.
Fantastic day at a stunning location!!
Cheers
Tim
ps also present 3 or 4 sanderling, 1 grey plover in the Mangroves (well spotted Gillian!) and a probable large sand plover ...

[Michael Szabo]

Thanks for posting - that makes it a male bird then!

Did anyone get photos of the display or even a video clip with their mobile phone?

If the bird hangs around for a while this could become quite a big 'twitch'..

Cheers, Michael

[Ian Southey]

I spent most of yesterday on the spit prowling around and found the bird on the sand flats in the vicinity of the lagoon in the top left hand corner of the picture I posted earlier. At low tide it was the only bird there apart from the odd Pipit and that made it easy to find. It was feeding fairly steadily reminding me very much of a dotterel looking for and grabbing prey items on top of the sand often with walks and runs of a few steps and some sudden turns. No sign of the displays seen yesterday and it never went to the roost with the other birds this time either. The other thing I noticed is that it was not particularly approachable and flew readily so a bit of care was needed even at 100m and it was hard to get much closer than that. Also present were two Sanderlings and a Large Sand Dotterel, no sign of the Grey Plover but I spent very little time on the inlet.

When I saw the bird chasing and displaying on Sunday I thought it looked ready to go but now I am not so sure. I don't know if it's fat enough for a long flight but then I don't actually know how they normally look. Given this I think it is worth trying to find this bird over the low tide while access is pretty easy if you mind the tide times and are prepared for a good walk on the sand. I think if you can't find it in a couple of hours you're not going to find it.

So far I have not seen it in the area of turf where Phil and Bill saw it although that is where you would make landfall when you walk over. After that walk right alongside the line of low dunes and then turn left and cross the low semi-vegetated part just to the left of the high bare dune and the flat will be in front of you. You will see footprints.

Ian

[Michael Szabo]

Thanks for posting those details, Ian. It's good to know it's still there 5 days after it was first found.

Michael

[Ian Southey]

Some pictures from yesterday.

Ian

[Michael Szabo]

Thanks for posting, Ian - the white underwing is also diagnostic.

Michael

[David Lawrie]

Adrian Riegen, Steve Wood, Colin Miskelly and I got good views of the bird today by the lagoon
Add our names to the big twitch!!

[Michael Szabo]

Great - is it still displaying?

[andrewcrossland]

anyone have any great lines I can try on my wife to get her tyo agree to stay at home with the 4 yr old, the 3 yr old and the 5 month old, while I disappear for a couple of nights to twitch this bird, and see the pelicans on the same mission? She's already got an ipad, a smart phone, and lots of jewellery - and those were sweeteners I had to buy her just to go twitching around the South Island!! (p.s.. don't tell her I wrote this post or I'll be in trouble!!)

[Nick Allen]

I still have my memory of seeing a whole paddock of these birds displaying to each other near Houston in April '94 and I think I'll have to be content with that . It's time something mind-blowingly rare turned up at Ellesmere again!

It's strange how we seem to be getting all these American firsts these days - was BBS even on the radar?