Sandpiper finds its way to Dungeness

Last Friday afternoon a Buff Breasted Sandpiper was found running around on the islands in front of Makepeace Hide on Burrowes Pit, Dungeness RSPB reserve.

This wader actually comes from North America and is one of the more frequent American birds which visit Western Europe. It was a juvenile so had hatched on the Arctic tundra of North America and instead of flying south and heading down through South America to winter in primarily Argentina – it had been blown across the Atlantic and was now running around the edge of a gravel pit in Kent.

It is really marvellous and staggering in bird migration and the distance of thousands of miles these small birds like this make. Buff Breasted Sandpipers can only really be confused with our European counterpart the Ruff, but they are smaller in size, with yellow legs and a short dark straight bill and a wonderful buff wash across the underparts and then a beautiful dark scalloped upper parts.

This was the 10th Dungeness area record for this species and was the first record of this species since 2010, when three birds were seen at Scotney Pit, near Lydd all feeding on the short turf between the road and the edge of the large pit.

For more information contact Owen Leyshon, Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership, telephone 01797 367934 or log on to www.rmcp.co.uk