BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

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Noel Ward
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BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby Noel Ward » Mon Jan 02, 2023 2:30 pm

last night (Jan 1st) Stuart Laurenson and I were at Traffic Lights Bay on Island Rd, Mangere looking at shorebirds on the dropping tide. About 30mins before sunset (SS at 2045) we noticed a small sandpiper on the mudflats with a mixed flock of godwits, knots and a few wrybills. It was much smaller than a knot and smaller and slimmer than a wrybill. We initially thought it was a Red-necked Stint but soon realised the bill was too long for that species. The blackish bill was longer than the head (we estimated it was 1.25x longer) and drooped towards the tip. The possibility of it being a Broad-billed Sandpiper was our next thought. We looked for the extra stripes on the crown but could only see an "eyebrow' stripe. The other species we considered was Western Sandpiper. There is plate in Hayman, Marchant and Prater (Plate 75) that shows head and bill profiles of Western Sandpiper, one of which matches the bird we saw.
We viewed this bird from 60-50m with the setting sun behind us. Around 9pm all the birds took to the air and moved out of the bay.
We returned to the site on this morning's tide but couldn't locate it - there were similar numbers of godwits, knots and wrybill as last night.
We will keep looking.
ngā mihi
Noel Ward
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RussCannings
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Re: small sandpiper at Mangere

Postby RussCannings » Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:51 am

Noel reports that the bird is still in the area and is confirmed as a BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER.

Russ
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Michael Szabo
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Re: small sandpiper at Mangere

Postby Michael Szabo » Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:52 pm

Admins may want to amend the title of this post now.
My new book 'Wild Wellington' published by Te Papa Press is now available online: https://tepapastore.co.nz/products/wild ... o-o-te-ika
troymakan
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Re: small sandpiper at Mangere

Postby troymakan » Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:00 pm

Anymore details on where to look for this bird? Is traffic lights bay the area of mud flats along side Island Rd?
If it is this area presumably the 2 hrs before high tide are the best times to look?
Noel Ward
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby Noel Ward » Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:04 pm

hi Troy.
Traffic Lights Bay is the corner closest to the set of traffic lights on the corner of Island Rd and Mark Ford Drive. It is the last bit to get inundated by a high tide and the birds get pushed into there. The converse happens on the out-going tide. On smaller tides the larger shorebirds can spent the high tide up to their "knees" but the smaller birds arrive as the water recedes. The Broad-bill was favouring the company of the few Wrybills that are about at the moment. Last night the Wrybills (and Broad-bill) left the area about 20mins before top of the tide. Hope this helps.
ngā mihi
Noel
paradoxdinokipi
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby paradoxdinokipi » Wed Jan 04, 2023 11:27 pm

How far out were the wrybills and broad-bills? I've been trying for vagrants quite a bit at Mangere, but never manage to see much properly as I don't have a scope, was it scope-needed? Or would 7x binocs do? Also any idea where it goes at high tide? The shell islands?
my inat: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/4733175 & ebird account is linked in that profile :)
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Michael Szabo
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby Michael Szabo » Thu Jan 05, 2023 10:52 am

My new book 'Wild Wellington' published by Te Papa Press is now available online: https://tepapastore.co.nz/products/wild ... o-o-te-ika
stuartl
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby stuartl » Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:54 am

To Paradoxdinokipi
I don't think 7 times binoculars will enable you to see this bird clearly unless you are fortunate enough for it to come in close to the sea wall by the road. You really need a scope.
Where it goes at high tide good question possibly the shell islands area at Ambury, they are a bit overgrown at the moment so vision is a bit restricted there. It is hanging out with the wrybills so where ever they go at high tide is the place to look.
Good luck Stuart
phil hammond
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby phil hammond » Thu Jan 05, 2023 2:35 pm

It flew into Traffic Lights Bay with 24 Wrybill just before 1pm today
That was 2 hours, 20 minutes after high tide, so the tide line and the birds weren't close and a scope cranked up to 40 to 1 was required. Through 10x bins you could just make out that there was a slightly smaller bird with dark throat and long bill but no more
As Stuart says the high tide roost islands are a problem at the moment because of the long weeds especially as the Wrybills are roosting at the most distant end of the biggest island
Thanks to Noel and Stuart for spotting it
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Michael Szabo
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Re: BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER at Mangere

Postby Michael Szabo » Thu Jan 05, 2023 9:03 pm

Hopefully someone is able to take a decent photo and post it for others to see.
My new book 'Wild Wellington' published by Te Papa Press is now available online: https://tepapastore.co.nz/products/wild ... o-o-te-ika

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