The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Information from Michael Parker

Purple Sandpiper 1 - at Alkborough Flats adjacent to south hide.

I think that you will find that this bird is actually a Ruff -- it has been in the same spot for a week and was there all day yesterday and today;

Reply from Michael Parker

I am 100% sure that the bird seen was a classic example of a purple sandpiper.
It was close to study in detail for a long time, it had a classic dark yellow base to a lovely black down curved bill. Legs being dull yellow in colour. Feathers had a pronounced light edge, head was dark with a small white fleck in front of the eye and the underbelly was dirty white. A very stocky bird, it appeared to be resting most of the time although we did see it feeding in the same spot later in the day.

regards, mick parker.

Excellent observation. Purple Sandpiper/ Ruff - come on, Graham

Purple Sandpiper is certainly still a very rare bird in Lincolnshire, 2008 saw just 7 records for the whole of Lincolnshire. All records in 2008 referred to birds in October and November, suggesting they are all passage migrants - we just don't seem to have any over wintering habitat for them to stick around.

Still regret not going to see the bird at Covenham last November - looked like a really smart bird... any photos of the Alkborough Flats bird?

Andrew



Photo Richard Pipe - Covenham November 2008

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

Purple Sandpipers use to winter annually at the north end of Cleethorpes, normally singly, though I recall years when two birds were present. Over recent years they haven't been sighted annually as far as I am aware, though the bird below was present last winter.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tGC5Alctj9I/S ... per+2+.JPG

regards

Chris

Plenty of photos of the Alkborough bird which is still there in front of the hide!

The Ruff at Alkborough continues to be identified as a Purple Sandpiper -- I had several reports this week; the basic description two toned decurved bill, orange legs, stocky build and the extreme proximity of the bird seem to be fooling people; note also in the description above the pale fringed upperparts which is typical of Ruff; the description of the underparts is not right for Purple Sand as shown by the photo above but does fit Ruff; the pale spot at the base of the bill on the head is also a typical Ruff feature -- it seems that many people do not have any experience of the variability of Ruffs in winter plumage and are used to seeing juveniles in autumn and adults in summer --

On the date of the first report high spring tides meant that there was no mud in front of the hide and the only bird on the grass was this single Ruff; a full survey on that date produced high totals of wildfowl but very few waders due to the lack of mud; the Ruff has been present for over a week in this restricted area --

Graham, Thanks for clarification!

Andrew

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/