Going back to 22nd September 2006 for this blast from past. A Least Sandpiper had turned up at Carsnew Pool, Hayle, Cornwall and both Malc & I needed it, at the time, for our British lists. Malc was year listing that year so the added attraction of another rare N American wader, a Wilsons Phalarope, at nearby Stithians Reservoir meant we found ourselves driving through the night to Hayle. My grandparents lived in Hayle so I knew the area well. The appearance of the Least Sandpiper appeared to be tidal and it was appearing on Carsnew Pool as the tide dropped and the mud became exposed.
We arrived in plenty of time and the tide was still fully in as we settled ourselves down for what could be a long wait on the sea wall at the south west corner of the pool.
We awaited and waited. Another birder joined us but soon got into an argument with an irate owner of a local firm where he'd stupidly ignored the 'no parking' signs and was being told to move his car. Eventually he conceded and went to move his car.........just as the least Sandpiper flew in with a Dunlin!
Malc and I had good scope views and took in all the relevant features and were in relaxed mode watching this diminutive peep - at the time only the 32nd record for the UK ( I don't count Ireland). The 1st record was of a bird shot at nearby Marazion in 1853! Suddenly, for no apparent reason the bird spooked and flew off towards the estuary just as the birder who'd gone to move his car turned up. We left him looking rather forlorn and headed back Malcs car and onto Stithians. Hopefully he connected with at as it stayed another 3 days.
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| Head on shot showing supercilium meeting bill - diagnostic of Least Sandpiper |
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| Least Sand also has greenish legs compared to Little Stints dark legs and a dark loral patch between bill and eye. |
We arrived at Stithians to find the Wilson's Phalarope showing reasonably well although distant and not really photographable so we contents with our day we headed for home.
My claim to fame is that I 'found' a Long-billed Dowithcer on Carsnew Pool during an Easter holiday with my grandparents in 1978! I spent awhile puzzling over the a bird I'd never seen before and after referring to the copy of The Filed Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe (Roger Peterson, Guy Mountfort and P.A.D Hollom) that I carried in my rucksack I realised I was watching my 1st ever Long-billed Dowitcher.
My Grandparents lived in St Earth so my walks always took me down to Carsnew Pool 1st and then along the seaward side of the pool to view the estuary and finally along the seafront road in Hayle to Copperhouse Pool. Exactly my route o nthis day but as I got past the famous Phipps Pasty shop I saw a lot of birders staring intently through scopes at the exposed mud. It turned out they were all looking for the Long-billed Dowitcher (at the time only the 39th record in the UK) which had been reported on Copper House Pool the previous day. When I said I'd just seen it feeding on Carsnew Poll there was a sudden mass exodus.
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