SEPTEMBER 2013 & YANKY WADERS

Whimbrel (Simon Wellock)

Black-tailed Godwit (Simon Wellock)

September on Tiree is the best time for searching for vagrant American waders which have been blown across the Atlantic. This year would again not disappoint. Keith Gillon found a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper at Gott Bay on 6^th, which then relocated to Clachan where it continued to show, although was often elusive, until 12^th. After several attempts I finally managed to catch up with it on 9^th when it shared a small tidal pool with 3 Knot, a Little Stint and 6 Dunlin, just in time for the lot to be flushed by a female Hen Harrier.

There was a juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper at Loch a’ Phuill on 5^th and the now annual Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Loch a’ Phuill on 17^th but neither hung around long enough for me to see them.  West Tiree had up to three different juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers throughout the month. I saw one on the 10^th at Middleton and another with 75 Snipe in a flooded field at Balinoe. American Golden Plovers are annual these days, although picking one out amongst the many thousands of European Goldies, in often very mobile flocks, is not always easy. This September there were four different AGP’s on Tiree. There were fine adults at Sandaig/Middleton/Greenhill from 5^th to 10^th and Ruaig/Vaul from 12^th to 23^rd. I saw the first one at Greenhill on 6^th (see photo) and again on 10^th when it gave superb views at Middleton. There were also juveniles at Greenill/Loch a’ Phuill from 9^th to 11^th which I saw on 10^th and at Ruaig, from 9^th. I saw the Ruaig bird on its last day, the 13^th.

 

Golden Plovers at Sandaig (Simon Wellock)

American Golden Plover, Greenhill 6th Sept 2013 (Simon Wellock)

American Golden Plover, Middleton 10th Sept 2013 (Simon Wellock)

American Golden Plover, Ruaig 17th Sept 2013 (Simon Wellock)

Curlew Sandpiper (Simon Wellock)