From the Lothian Bird Report for 1997.
Since its inception in 1991, the 24-hour Appleyard Bird Race between the RSPB, the SOC and the East Lothian Ranger Service has become a hotly competed annual event. In 1996, the RSPB won by a single species - the difference being a Eurasian Spoonbill at Aberlady Bay, which was sneaked in at the end of the day. Surely such good fortune could not be repeated in 1997?
This year's race took place on 18th May. The RSPB team comprised Keith Morton, Jonathan Osborne, Brian Robertson and me. We got off to a bad start, with an unproductive night that turned slowly into a grey, drizzly morning. Disappointingly, the dawn chorus at Bavelaw Marsh had virtually amounted to a couple of Common Robins. By mid-morning, the day's tally was well down on past performances, and spirits were starting to flag-we could only console ourselves with the hope that our rivals were struggling as badly. At 10.45 a.m., we arrived at Musselburgh Lagoons in hope of some passage waders. The prospect of Black-tailed Godwit - a 'stake out' from the day before - gave us some cause for optimism, but the weather conditions were atrocious. The coast was wreathed in thick mist, with an easterly wind driving a heavy drizzle; accordingly, visibility was very poor at around 400 m. An initial scan of the scrape revealed a small group of waders on the edge of an island, about 300 m away; this included around 40 Dunlin and one Common Redshank. However, I noticed a wader deep in the water on the edge of the flock which I could not identify in the murk: through binoculars, it looked like a pale Common Redshank, although its feeding action was more suggestive of Ruff.
To see the flock better we moved to a closer range (200 m), where I immediately looked for the odd wader and got a telescope onto it. The bird was clearly a Tringa species, although even through the 'scope the views were still too poor to be able to identify it. At this point it was facing away, legs completely hidden in the water, and preening vigorously. However, it was giving occasional glimpses of a slender bill and the plumage had a strikingly pale appearance (probably accentuated by the mist). These two features led me to conclude that the bird was probably a Spotted Redshank, and I drew attention to it for the first time, despite being unhappy with this prognosis. Shortly thereafter, the bird started to feed and its true proportions and appearance became more apparent. Brian was the first to realise that it was, in fact, a Marsh Sandpiper mid-way through its moult to summer plumage, an identification which was immediately agreed by all.
After a period of slight disbelief, we settled down to watch the bird, taking as full a description as the viewing conditions would allow. The need to release the news presented us with a moral dilemma: should we inform our rival teams of the find? In the event, sportsmanship prevailed and we made a charitable decision to give them a free tick! Unfortunately, this year our good luck did not extend to the outcome of the bird race: at close of play it transpired that we had been soundly beaten by both the other teams (a cherished rare win for the SOC). However, considering quality over quantity, I cannot escape the conclusion that the RSPB achieved a moral victory!
The Marsh Sandpiper remained at Musselburgh until early afternoon the following day, when it flew off high to the west. It was seen by many birders during this time. The views it gave were not always ideal as by the time the weather had cleared on the first day, it had started to feed some distance away at the back of the scrape; however, it moved closer on the second day, when it was photographed. A brief description is given below:
General appearance
Superficial appearance of a pale, diminutive Common Greenshank, with proportionally longer legs and shorter, straighter and more slender bill. Upperparts olive-brown, with a contrastingly pale head and underparts The jizz stemmed from its delicate proportions, especially the distinctive bill shape. Mid-way through spring moult, showing combination of summer-plumaged upperparts and (largely) winter-plumaged underparts. Wing moult appeared to be complete. Body moult was just underway, with only two or three of the characteristic dark spots on the flanks (I.J. Andrews, pers comm). Size, structure and proportions
In direct comparisons, estimated to be around one third smaller than Redshank, or intermediate between this species and Dunlin (i.e. a small Tringa). Rather dumpy proportions at rest (perhaps accentuated by the prevailing weather causing it to fluff out its body feathers); when active, more slender and shank-like although still fairly short-necked. Distinctive head profile due to steep forehead and high, rounded crown. Bill fairly short (around the length of the head), very fine and slightly upturned. The delicate proportions of the bill made it appear pointed and needle-like, which exaggerated its length. Legs longish, proportionally much more so than Common Redshank. Long tibia gave the bird a stilt-like appearance, which was also apparent in flight when the legs protruded well beyond the tail. Very small primary projection.
Plumage
Head: contrastingly pale against the darker upperparts, with whitish forehead and lores making the eye appear dark and beady. Crown and ear coverts streaked darkish (densely on the crown). Broad, whitish supercilium, emphasised by darker crown and ear coverts.
Upperparts: olive-brown mantle. White rump and uppertail coverts formed a prominent 'V' in flight. Limited dark barring on the uppertail.
Upperwing: dark olive-brown, with black feather centres to the scapulars and wing coverts. Tertials olive-brown with dark barring. Very dark primaries just visible beyond tertials at rest.
Underparts: cold whitish, appearing ghostly pale in the mist. Streaked breast sides, retained from winter plumage, formed partial pectoral band. Two or three dark spots on the upper flanks (I.J. Andrews, pers comm).
Bare parts: all-dark bill and dull greenish-yellow legs (which appeared dark at a distance). Eye appeared to be all-dark.
Behaviour
Very distinctive feeding action when in deep water, adopting a hunched stance (accentuated by the short neck) and jabbing bill vertically downwards in short stabs. In this situation, the bird moved sluggishly in the water, stabbing from side to side as it walked. This feeding action was likened to that of a Ruff or Curlew Sandpiper. A similar action was also employed when the bird was wading in shallower water, although then the long legs gave it a more shank-like appearance. All movements were delicate and jerky. On the first morning, spent long periods preening vigorously and resting up to its belly in the water. When found, showed nervous and volatile behaviour, suggesting that it had arrived that day (e.g. flew without obvious reason several times). Once settled, it started to feed busily. Similar flight action to Common Redshank, although with slower, more deliberate wing beats.
Mid-May is a typical arrival date for a vagrant Marsh Sandpiper in Britain, the weather conditions at the time being ideal. The species is a rare, but regular, vagrant to Britain, with 91 records up to 1995, of which only seven have been in Scotland. This is the first record for Lothian, and was the prelude for a classic year at Musselburgh.
Guy Thompson, c/o 1 Abbey Hill Road, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 7AT