A bit of excitement today. I was doing my paperwork when a message came in regarding a Little Stint on Stilt Pool found by Paul Bowley. As I spent last week hoping for a long shot and looking for the Least Sandpiper from Hampshire that might head this way (especially if its the same as the wintering Somerset bird that headed in this direction- see non-overlapping but widely spaced out dates HERE- thanks for the tip-off Simon! ) my initial response was asking Paul if he had seen it well to make sure it wasn't the Least. A few photos circulated and Ian Pitts noticed the yellow legs and suggested it was indeed a Least or Temmincks and then a close up photo was shared that was conclusive that it was indeed a Least Sand- only the second record for the Peninsula, the last one a real blocker from July 1995.
I stopped doing my paperwork and rushed over there. What a little cracker .
I had to get back for 3pm for the school run and on the way a Red Kite flew over the Easton road and then as I approached our house a Spoonbill flew over! After what has been a rather slow start to Spring today was very much appreciated.
The yellow-green legs are the main identification feature but other features include a barely visible primary projection (actually quite a visible projection on this particular bird which could be due to tertial wear), a wing-tip that falls short of the tail , relatively large dark centres to the scapulars and an overall greyish brown colouration, a very compact structure and small size with very slightly down-curved bill with a proportionally fine tip. The wavey fringes to the coverts are a distinctive feature (this bird seems to show a wavey fringe to the visible middle tertial). The only other stint that shares these feaures is Long-toed Stint but diagnostically Long-toed has a broken supercilium that does not reach the bill base and structurally it's longer necked and reminiscent of a small Wood Sandpiper which is accentuated by it's even broader dark centred scapulars and in flight the legs typically trail beyond the legs (pics
HERE of the St.Aidan's bird).
Least Sandpiper with Dunlins- the world's smallest wader
The bird can be aged as a second-calender year/first-winter due to contrast between the scapulars and mantle and the coverts. The wavey edges to the greater coverts are visible in this spread wing image. The contrast between the juvenile wing and the moulted mantle scapulars is not so great on this bird and actually quite subtle to my eye. See the image below (bottom imgae) of what I presume is an adult winter Least Sandpiper from Terceira island, the Azores where the feathers between the upperpart plumage tracts appear less contrasting and more uniform in shape too- the coverts look broader in the presumed adult (bottom Least Sand image below)
Mating Avocets and Least Sandpiper
The unbroken supercilium is shown in this image and those large dark centre scapulars. That primary projection which isn't supposed to be there is also showing. It could be down to wear of the overlying tertials or just a bit of individual variation.
First-winter Least Sandpiper, Medmerry
A juvenile/first-winter Least Sandpiper from September, Terceira, the Azores. These birds start off pretty rusty looking when younger which seemingly wears off over the winter.
What I presume is an adult winter Least Sandpiper (Terceira, the Azores, February ) showing much less contrast between scapular/mantle and the coverts than the bird today. The shape of these coverts look more rounded too.
I can't find a decent photo of a first-winter Little Stint that I've taken but here's an adult winter from Terciera showing the longer visible primary projection reaching slightly beyond the tail and the overail more pale grey upperparts and less extensively dark scapulars- and of course- the black legs.
Finally Temminck's Stint (a first-winter from Terceira) - also has greenish legs but Temminck's is quite a unique stint, with a rather crouched posture, noticeable primary projection and overall really quite plain with generally quite a solid breast band, an overall brownish plumage colouration, a weak supercilium mainly before the eye and lacks the dark centred scapulars of Least Sand/Long-toed Stint. The scauplars internal markings are fine streaks in winter/younger plumages and in summer develops thick blotchy black centres in scattered feathers.
