lsinpang

A very confusing sandpiper was spotted on boardwalk on 4 April, 2017.

Realized that there is hybrid between sandpiper species.
https://britishbirds.co.uk/artic ... ile-coxs-sandpiper/











[ Last edited by lsinpang at 19/04/2017 18:20 ]

cgeoff

This looks quite good for Cox's. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia it has not previously been observed in breeding plumage, and so this may be the first photo of one having carried out at least some pre-breeding moult.

There doesn't seem to have been much published on this hybrid since the paper that investigated DNA to confirm it was the result of a pairing between male Pec Sand and female Curlew Sand:

https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v098n03/p0459-p0463.pdf

Images of a juvenile photographed in Japan were published in Birding World in 2002 15 (8): 346–347.

GeoffC

ajohn

I had a similar bird at Mai Po in April 2015, which was photographed by Cherry Wong. It was not quite as advanced into breeding plumage as this bird, and was not as close as your bird seems to have been. I think there's a very good chance this is actually the same bird returning to Mai Po as a stopover again.

At the time I thought that bird was probably Cox's Sandpiper, and from discussions I had with others that also seemed to be the most likely identification anyone suggested. I realise now that I did not actually submit the record to the RC, which perhaps I should have done.

There is some discussion about that sighting, and photographs of the bird, on BirdForum at http://www.birdforum.net/showthr ... highlight=sandpiper

Congratulations on getting these photos of a very interesting bird!

ajohn

There was also one reported last winter from New Zealand: http://www.stuff.co.nz/environme ... d-at-Lake-Ellesmere