Common Sandpiper Identification Challenge

Wader Wednesday ID challenge 14 October 2020 P Plate by Janine Duffy

Who is this handsome creature? Seen on a boat ramp at Buffalo Creek, near Darwin NT in January.

Size: smallish for a wader. Behaviour: standing around a lot, alone, bobbing tail when it walks.

Solution:

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

The best indicator of this bird is the white ‘armpit’ – that white spike in front of the folded wing. It’s more noticeable on this wader than any others. (Others like Sanderling, Stint, Turnstone have a touch of it, but it’s not as obvious.)

The other best indicator is the bobbing. When they move, they bob their tail constantly.
As Penelope Lind said, from the ABG this could be difficult. This bird clearly shows a white eyering that is not very obvious on the ABG pic, and this bird doesn’t have much of a pale supercilium (eyebrow). This is where its handy to have several field guides: Morcombe and Pizzey both show this feature better. Also, as Penelope, Erin & said, looking at photos on Google, eBird or Merlin is really helpful.

You don’t usually find Common Sandpipers with other waders. If you see a shorebird on a pylon, a boat ramp, a low bridge, a concrete treatment pond, it will likely be this species. They liked steep sides, so they like rocks as well.

You’ll often find them alone, or in twos. I’ve seen them in the strangest places!

See more pics here: https://ebird.org/species/comsan

Learn more: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/common-sandpiper

Comments:

Jannette Manins:
…and I saw one just two hours ago through my scope (from the living room) on the mangroves mudflats, Cairns Esplanade. They don’t usually come here!
The Common Sandpiper I saw today was alone.

Ruth Wilson:
This one was alone on the mudflats of the Norman River in Karumba QLD. I love the soft grey half bib on these birds. You can see the white eyebrow on this one a little better