2 December 2009

Andrew Cunningham took these close-up photos of the long-staying Spotted Sandpiper at Topsham on 25 November.

Spotted Sandpipers are rare vagrants to Devon from North America. This bird is the ninth for the county, the last one recorded in 2006.

County recorder Mike Langman gives the previous Devon records of Spotted Sandpiper as follows:

1st Lopwell Dam, River Tavy, 1984 to January 1985
2nd Tamar Lakes, 1987
3rd Plym Estuary, 1987 – the bird stayed until May 1988 (and was erroneously recorded as the fourth Devon record in the 1988 Devon Bird Report).
4th Stoke Gabriel, 1995
5th Lopwell Dam, 1995 – staying into 1996
6th Teign Estuary, 1995 – staying into 1996
7th Plym Estuary, 1999
8th Tamar Lakes, 2006

The entry in the 2006 Devon Bird Report stating “Nine Devon records prior to 2006, the last in 1999” is therefore incorrect.

Thanks to Mark Bailey for spotting the discrepancy.

Spotted Sandpiper – Topsham – © Andrew Cunningham – 25 November 2009