Terek Sandpiper – Stanpit Marsh Local Nature Reserve, Christchurch Harbour, Christchurch, Dorset, 16^th July 1988

Whilst I was working in Dorset and Hampshire in 1988, Birdline conveniently notified me of this goodie at the handy Stanpit Marsh on the outskirts of Christchurch, and so it was off there I went from work on the Purbeck to Southampton Pipeline on the morning of Saturday the 16th July after ‘notifying others’ (whatever that means from a distance of 36.5 years later....).

I arrived at Stanpit Marshes to be rewarded with views of this bird feeding on the margins of the islands in Christchurch Harbour, and also flying closer, alighting briefly in front of us. Good views of a good bird.

It had grey-white under-parts and grey brown upper-parts with a diagnostic black line on the scapulars. It had a long, stout, slightly upturned dark bill and medium length stout orangey-yellow legs. In flight it had a grey rump, and a paler trailing edge (and a darker leading edge to the primaries, etc.), to the wing.

Subsequently I saw the one at Kitty Brewster on the Blyth Estuary in November 1989, although it may have been later, as presumably the same bird was then there and / or nearby from January 1990 until January 1991.

Finally, and incidental to all of this, one of the accompanying images was taken by Martin Reid, who was then a birder based in Dorset. Move on less than four years, and it was Martin, having moved to Texas, who provided the excellent image of the Wandering Tattler (a first for Texas) Mike Thompson and I found at Galveston, which accompanied the description we submitted to the Texas Bird Records Committee of the Texas Ornithological Society. Small world indeed!!

Terek Sandpiper, Stanpit Marsh, Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, July 1988 (photograph credited to Martin Reid).

Terek Sandpiper, Stanpit Marsh, Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, July 1988 (photograph credited to David Cotteridge).