Dermot Breen's Blog: white-rumped sandpiper

Showing posts with label white-rumped sandpiper. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 March 2019

Juvenile WRS's, Inishmore, October 2018.

Hugh Delaney picked up two juvenile White-rumped Sandpipers feeding on the storm beach at Loch Phort Chorrúch on Inishmore on 14th October. I was out on a day trip myself at the time and managed to get some shots. I had an adult here at the very same spot in September 2011. This is the first time two have shown up together in Galway. Both birds had started to moult a handful of the upper scapulars and one bird (individual one) had a distinct small bump on the upper mandible.

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpipers.

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper - individual one.

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper - individual two.

Sunday, 10 March 2019

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper, Inner Mannin Bay, 20th September 2018.

A few record shots of a moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper that I found in Inner Mannin Bay, Ballyconneely back on 20th September 2018. This is the third adult that I've found on this very same beach with the previous birds being on 29th September 2011 and on 8th August 2017. The last bird was a nice full summer bird. I haven't seen the species anywhere else on mainland Connemara for some reason. Four WRS were found in Galway during the Autumn of 2018 with a juvenile on Inishbofin on 8th October and two juveniles on Inishmore on 14th to 20th October. I have shots of the latter birds which I will post here shortly.

Moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper.

Moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper with Ringed Plover.

Moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper.

Moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper with juvenile Sanderling and Ringed Plover.

Moulting adult White-rumped Sandpiper.

Tuesday, 8 August 2017

Mannin White-rumped Sand

A quick post on a nice adult summer White-rumped Sandpiper that I found in Mannin Bay down in Ballyconneely this morning. Initially passed it off as a distant sleeping juvenile Dunlin. Given that there were no other Dunlin present in the small mixed Sanderling/Ringed Plover flock I quickly saw it was a White-rump once it woke up. Bizarrely my only previous mainland Connemara record of this species comes from the very same small beach on 29th September 2011. Good start to the Autumn of 2017 so! I've noticed quite good numbers of small waders back already and it looks like Dunlin had a decent breeding season in northern Europe with decent numbers of juveniles being recorded.

Previous WRS, 29th September 2011.