Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Blast From The Past Finds

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper is another quintessential autumn rarity. Not a mega by any means, but still a great bird to have on your finds list, and certainly one you can manage with a bit of effort. Over the years I have now found quite a few, with the big influx of 2011 being most productive, but have produced birds in Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Galway and Clare, some of which I will deal with here.

31st August 2009

My first "Semi-p" was a good Dublin tick at Sandymount Strand a loooong time ago, and had seen a fair few at Tacumshin since that time, but finding my own, like other waders discussed, required getting away from the main thoroughfare of Wexford. 

Seeing decent weather for American waders inbound, I headed for Kerry, finding Baird's Sandpiper straight out of the gate. 

Working my way west from Blackrock strand produced various goodies along the route before arriving at Smerwick Harbor, where, parking up at the wine strand side, I picked up a stint feeding among the rocks with my bins.

It was a nice delicate bird and the ID was straightforward. Semi-p jumped onto my finds list.and the bird gave excellent views. 

One of the great things about birding areas like this is you can often really enjoy birds like this, undisturbed by birders or dog walkers (not so much further east). 

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Smerwick Harbor

 

This bird hung around until at least the 9th of September and was enjoyed by a fair few people. I know it was fairly well photographed at the time, but this is all that seems to remain on the net today. If anyone else has or knows of images of this bird I would love to hear from you.

November 6th 2010

I had learned that east Cork in November, tends to experience a mini or later autumn than the rest of the country and would focus my efforts there, usually finding west Cork barren of birds by comparison at this time of year.

Saturday was so far looking quiet, having started out at Youghal and working my way back east, I had only managed a few Tree Sparrows (always good in Cork) and a Sibe Chiff on Knockadoon when Rónán McLaughlin put the news out he had found a Water Pipit at Shanagarry.

Ballycotton had been my next intended site, with the high tide due in the evening, so I made my way there.

Ró was still on site when I arrived and pointed out his bird to me, and we soon realized there were two individuals as I picked up a second. 

Ró had also had a Snow Bunting which was mooching around.

Watching the Pipits, the tide was moving in fast and small waders were milling around the bay, obviously intending on making use of the Shanagarry sandbar.

Raising my bins, I picked up a stint in flight among the Dunlin and Ringed Plovers and directed Ró on to it. 

It landed in on the spit opposite to us. It was a cold, winter plumaged bird and as the views were good we could clearly see it was no little stint, showing a neat cap, no split super, and nice breast patches. It was a cracking Semi-p. And a really beautiful, silvery thing, just a delight to watch.

It made it's way even closer to us, and even gave good views of it's palmations, before gradually making it's way up the beach to the lake, but not before being massively twitched by the Cork photography contingent. (2009-2013 were excellent years to have your rarities photographed, with several people seeming constantly ready to twitch and pap anything you would find). 

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Rónán McLaughlin 

This bird stayed around for weeks, providing regular viewing opportunities, including for local raptors, one of which definitely struck it at one point, causing some bleeding. The bird seemed to recover, however.

This was, at the time, the only Semi-Palmated Sandpiper ever found in November.

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Robert Vaughan

2011 Influx

The incredible influx of 2011 saw several Semi-p fall before me.

For me it started with an adult bird at Carrahane, Co. Kerry, a bird that was not easy in windy and drizzling conditions.

2 juveniles in Cork, at Pilmore and Ballycotton, were far easier and obliging however.

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Pilmore

Walking the beach between Pilmore and Redbard on the 5th of September, with the tide high, I was delighted to see a stint toddling along the beach towards me.

This bird was cold as steel, and perhaps the most beautiful individual I have ever seen, with a unique combo of ice cold plumage and cute head and bill structure. 

Imanaged to nab some brief video as it rapidly made it's way towards me, before it got too close to track in my scope, and then got too close to even use my bins, as it practically walked between the legs of my tripod, and carried on west with the tide, eventually flying towards the GAA pitch end. What a beauty!

September 9th and 10th

On the 9th I took Dara Fitz over from Cork to Tac for Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper, seeing a range of goodies such as American Golden Plover, Buff Breasted Sandpipers and finding both Little-Ringed Plover and Semi-Palmated Sandpiper for our trouble.

The following day, at Shanagarry, history somewhat repeated itself as, just like the previous year, a stint landed in at the Shan outflow, and proceeded to give itself up to the Cork birding paparazzi. 

This was a longer billed bird and in obvious moult, so easy to discern it was not the Pilmore bird having relocated.

Semi-Palmated Sandpiper - Rónán McLaughlin 

In subsequent years I have managed to find other individuals in Clare and Galway, but my fondest memories are certainly those in Cork, both for the sheer beauty of the Pilmore Juv and the winter bird at Ballycotton, but also having the species on my patch of Ballycotton.

Any day you find a Semi-p is a good day. 😍