Pectoral Pain

Pectoral Sandpiper at Stanborough Gravel Pits on 1st Oct - photo by Mike Illett

I believe there may be a Golden Rule of patch birding - never leave your patch with the added consequence that, if you do, chances are the 'Big One' will turn up!  Well, there's nothing like learning that lesson the hard way...

Taking the opportunity to work remotely and catch up with some coastal autumn birding I headed down to Cornwall for a week on 28th Sep.  I left as the first hints of winter birding were beginning to appear at the pits.  Teal numbers had grown to 15, the odd Snipe was flying around while 5 Golden Plovers made a brief appearance on 23rd and a Wigeon was seen on 24th.  The Dartford Warbler had last been seen on 25th, a Reed Warbler on 26th and a Wheatear on 30th.

It seemed to be quietening down - or so I thought - but I perhaps should have taken the hint when Andrew Steele queried a wader he was struggling to ID on 25th.  Neither of us could relocate it and his distant photos were inconclusive and suggested an odd-looking Green Sandpiper.  It did, however, get me wondering about Pectoral Sandpiper as a possibility.  That said, I don't think Andrew's bird was, HOWEVER, late in the evening on 30th another observer reported 2 Green Sandpipers and 1 probable Dunlin...

Sure enough, I received a message from Steve Pearce the next morning saying he had an 'interesting wader' at the pits.  His description sounded a perfect fit for a Pectoral Sandpiper so I put the suggestion out on the WhatsApp group asking if anyone else could investigate.  Remarkably quickly, another local birder, John Yates, located the bird and from his photos it became clear that Stanborough was playing host to a PECTORAL SANDPIPER!

The Pectoral Sandpiper from 1st - 3rd Oct - photos by Mike Illett

Not only a first for the site (#162) but a genuinely rare bird and, in all likelihood, the site's first transatlantic migrant.  The last record in Herts was 10 years ago in 2015 at Tring Reservoirs.  While I enjoyed seeing the chat, photos and videos as everybody caught up with the bird it was a painful experience as I sat in Cornwall toying with the idea of a 12-hour round trip to see the bird.  I didn't succumb to such madness but made the most of my time in Cornwall instead.  The bird was last seen early on Friday 3rd October and, despite searching on my return, has not been seen since.

I should say, regardless of my personal disappointment, this is an excellent record for the site and once again underlines the fact that Stanborough Gravel Pits is a fantastic magnet for birds!  Long may it continue!