Stilt Sandpiper
Calidris himantopus (Bonaparte, 1826) (0, 1)
Photo © By Len Blumin - originally posted to Flickr as STILT SANDPIPER, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4799352
STATUS
Nearctic. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Records as per BOU (1971).
Since this period it arrives here in April and May and between July and September.
1950-57 RECORD
1). 1954 Yorkshire Kilnsea, adult, 31st August to 4th September.
(R. Chislett, British Birds 48: 18-20; R. Chislett, Naturalist 80: 80-81; BOURC (1956), Ibis 98: 155).
History R. Chislett (1955) in British Birds, Vol. XLVIII. pp. 18-20, says: 'On 31st August 1954 Peter Waterton and Edward E. Jackson, who were staying at the Spurn Bird Observatory, noticed an unusual wader on marshy land north of Kilnsea, Yorkshire.
The descriptions they gave did not fit any bird ever known to have visited the area. The same afternoon, about 1½ hours later, when they visited the place again, accompanied by G. H. Ainsworth, R. F. Dickens and myself, the bird could not be found. On the following day the two boys, to whom full credit is due, again located the bird feeding in the same area; and on 2nd September R. F. Dickens went with them, saw the wader and immediately contacted G. H. Ainsworth and H. O. Bunce, the latter of whom made a special journey to see the bird the same evening. E. C. Dickinson and L. T. Wright also saw the bird on 2nd September. On 3rd September it was seen by Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Butterfield; and on 4th September by J. Cudworth, J. K. Fenton, R. V. Jackson, P. C. Quin, D. L. Robinson, E. S. Skinner and Misses F. E. Crackles and A. E. Leach, and again by R.F.D. and H.O.B. It was not seen after 4th September. I revisited the area on the 5th, but again failed to see the bird.
The following details are summarized from the notes and sketches that each of the above observers was asked by R. F. Dickens to make separately and to send to me before discussing the bird with anyone else or seeing their descriptions. The bird was seen at ranges down to twelve yards. The site was open but lighting varied.
Size. Slightly larger than Curlew Sandpipers (Calidris testacea), smaller than Redshanks (Tringa totanus) and Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) and slightly smaller than the Reeves in whose company it was seen. Other species present for comparison were Dunlin (C. alpina), Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), Little Stint (C. minuta), Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and Greenshank (T. nebularia).
General appearance. Compared with any of the above it was a noticeably dark grey bird from a distance. At close quarters the plumage had traces of buff and brownish. It was a tall bird for its (body) size. Head. Crown dark grey-brown, browner towards nape. Nape, cheeks and sides of neck paler. J.C. says nape and hind-neck pale grey streaked darker. A prominent pale-greyish, broad superciliary stripe extended only very slightly behind the eye. Lores blackish.
Upper-parts. Boldly patterned on back with general effect rather like a grey Buff. Scapulars and wing-coverts blackish, edged light buff; some feathers, especially on left wing, brownish edged light buff. Primaries dark, brownish, extending slightly beyond tail when folded. Tail and coverts, dirty white, centre of tail darker. P.C.Q. noticed light barring on the tail, the outer tail-feathers being very pale but not white. J.C. says rump, upper tail-coverts and tail, pale greyish with darker barring, the sides of the tail white, graded to grey in centre. E.S.S. says whole tail area whitish with grey barring. Under-parts. Throat, foreneck and upper breast - buffish-grey, finely streaked. Paler around throat. Lower breast, belly and vent - strongly barred dark grey on pale brownish-grey or grey ground. Barring continuous on flanks and belly and through to tail, slightly more strongly marked on flanks. The line of demarcation between the striations of the upper breast and the barring of the lower breast gave a suggestion of a gorget. Underwings pale. Pinkish tinge on secondaries (F.E.C).
Soft parts. Eye - dark (?blackish). Legs - long, spindly, frequently flexed in an almost stilt-like manner (R.F.D.). Proportionately slightly longer than Redshank's giving the bird a tall appearance when seen on land (R.V.J.). All descriptions agree that in flight the feet projected clearly beyond the end of the tail. The legs usually appeared blackish but in bright sunlight a quite different impression was formed (H.O.B.). Dark, but in a good light, brownish-green (J.C.). Greenish-grey (E.S.S.). Leaden green (J.K.F.). Blackish with suggestion of dark greenish at top (R.F.D.). Not dark but a grey or ochre-shade (P.C.Q.). Bill - All agreed that the bill was blackish, long, slender and straight with a slight down-curve at the end. Slightly longer than Redshank's (R.F.D.). 1½ times as long as the head (F.E.C). J.C. says equal in length to Ruff's bill, but for size of bird proportionately longer.
Behaviour. Flight rather like Redshank's. Trailing edge of wing which was slightly paler, and whitish tail were only noticeable markings in flight. Trailed legs before landing and after take-off. Once when taking wing the bird called "tchoowk, tchoowk, tchoowk-tchoowk" rather like a Knot (C. canutus) (R.F.D.). When landing wings were held above back and several times in the course of feeding the bird raised its wings showing the pale underwing. On mud, picked at surface but did not probe deeply. Preferred to feed in deep water, often up to belly and swam frequently. Immersed whole of bill and frequently the head also, when feeding. Horizontal carriage of the body was noted by two observers, more like the carriage of a small slim Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) than that of a Redshank. The bird did not "tip or nod". When alone, or in company with a single Dunlin, the bird was very tame, allowing approach to within about twelve yards. The strongly barred under-parts, which everyone mentioned, suggested Grey-rumped Sandpiper (= Wandering Tattler) (Heteroscelus incanus), or Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalama himantopus). As the notes and drawings came in I began increasingly to suspect the latter. At the dates concerned an adult bird was likely to be in partial moult, and the barring suggested a remnant of breeding plumage*.
E. T. Peterson - A Field Guide to the Birds (of North America), A. C. Bent - Life Histories of N. American Shorebirds pt. I, and P. A. Taverner - Birds of Canada were all consulted. Some of their descriptions of appearance and behaviour of Stilt Sandpiper fitted the bird very aptly. Taverner says: "the spring bird with its heavily barred underparts is very distinctive". This was autumn but many adult waders have some breeding plumage until a later date, especially on breast &c. W. Rowan (in Bent) says: "when wading the bird prefers to be belly deep - the carriage of the head makes the species unmistakeable. The bill is always held and thrust beneath the surface perpendicularly. This necessitates a straight neck", And Taverner again: "a longer bill than any other sandpiper of similar size"; "in feeding may plunge its whole head and neck underwater".
The only respect in which the bird appeared to differ somewhat from the available descriptions of Stilt Sandpiper was in the tail-coverts and tail, which might be due to moult, for I have no doubt that the bird was in a transitional stage from summer to winter plumage, which often increases difficulties of identification.*
Later, through the medium of Dr. J. D. Craggs and the generosity of Mr. B. Wagstaffe, we were able to inspect a skin of the Stilt Sandpiper. Bill, legs, barrings on under-parts and general plumage conformed to the descriptions made without access to picture, book or specimen other than the bird the observers watched, in a way I can only describe as remarkable. The skin was as I imagined it would be. The notes sent to me constitute the most complete description of the Stilt Sandpiper I have yet seen. I have no doubt that Mr. Wagstaffe's skin and the bird R. F. Dickens, H. O. Bunce and their friends saw were of the same species, and I congratulate them on the care they took to establish it.
*As we go to press, R. F. Dickens informs us that as a result of his examining over 50 skins of Stilt Sandpiper in the British Museum (Natural History) he has no doubt that the bird was in almost complete breeding plumage, lacking only the rust colour on the cheeks. - Eds.
Admitted nationally in their First Report as the first for Britain (BOURC (1956) Ibis 98: 155).
