Mystery shore bird (1 Viewer)

[elhix]

Hi,
I'm the skipper of a wildlife safari boat that goes around the islands of Caldey and St Margarets off Pembrokeshire, Wales. I see lots of sea and shore birds and the odd migrant that I can usually identify with the help of a book. This last week I've seen a bird I can't identify myself or find in any books or online.

The bird is about the size of a blackbird, slightly smaller than a turnstone; it has brown speckled plumage with a paler non-speckled breast and most markedly bright yellow legs and beak. The beak is thin and very pointed and of medium length. I've seen it in the same place over the last few days - in the intertidal zone on a rocky stretch of low cliffs. It's very inactive and it's behaviour leads me to suspect it's on passage and tired.

Any ideas?

Mark

 

[rob stoff]

Hi,
I'm the skipper of a wildlife safari boat that goes around the islands of Caldey and St Margarets off Pembrokeshire, Wales. I see lots of sea and shore birds and the odd migrant that I can usually identify with the help of a book. This last week I've seen a bird I can't identify myself or find in any books or online.

The bird is about the size of a blackbird, slightly smaller than a turnstone; it has brown speckled plumage with a paler non-speckled breast and most markedly bright yellow legs and beak. The beak is thin and very pointed and of medium length. I've seen it in the same place over the last few days - in the intertidal zone on a rocky stretch of low cliffs. It's very inactive and it's behaviour leads me to suspect it's on passage and tired.

Any ideas?

Mark

perhaps Purple Sandpiper

Rob

 

[jimmyg]

Not a clue. Any photos? Certainly no shore birds come to mind. If you could get a photo that would be brill.

 

[jimmyg]

Purple sandpiper seems to fit most things, but is not really brown on the back, and has a speckled breast.

 

[delia todd]

Hi Mark I see this is your first post, so may I welcome you on behalf of the Staff and Moderators.

I came up with Purple Sandpiper too. You'll find more images if you click on the Gallery Search link at the bottom of the page.

D

 

[elhix]

Thanks for the welcome!

You know I think you all may be right. The picture is very similar in shape and colouration although the bill and legs were yellower. I'll try and get a decent photo if I see the little chap again.

Ta!

 

[AStevenson]

Did it look like these, purps taken today?

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[nickderry]

yellow legs and speckled breast make me think purple sand too - one of my favourite birds.

 

[elhix]

How big are they? The bird I saw was not much bigger than a blackbird, very similar size in fact.

 

[bitterntwisted]

How big are they? The bird I saw was not much bigger than a blackbird, very similar size in fact.

Around 90% the size of the Turnstones they often hang around with, so fitting your description well.

In length, Blackbirds are actually a little bigger than both, with male Blackbirds being a few cm longer but they are longer tailed.

Size of lone birds is notoriously hard to judge, and there's also, for me at least, a strange tendency to imagine shorebirds as being larger in relation to garden birds than they really are. So Mistle Thrush (26cm-29cm), for example, are bigger than Redshank (24cm-27cm)

In a very long-winded way, they're the right size for your mystery bird!

Graham

EDIT: And the habitat is perfect - I reckon you have your answer.
http://www.birdingholland.com/PurpleSandpiper01.jpg
http://www.birding.ch/cgi-bin/fotos/seltench/img/691.jpg
http://www.ctbirding.org/images_sm_sandpipers/PurpSand1101AHa.jpg

 

[Howard King]

Hi Mark

I actually live in Tenby, the rest of the family are in Harries Street - but I work out here - just to go of in a slightly different direction from waders I have seen many Chough around the Islands and Giltar point - given the spotted nature of your bird -- compared in size is it the same as a Chough? - if so might surgest you have a look at Rosy-coloured Starling pictures and see if they comes anywhere near