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Hi Edwin and all,
It certainly sounds like you may well have found a
Stilt Sandpiper.
I saw a couple of vagrant Stilt Sandpipers while
living in the UK and found them to be quite different structurally from Curlew
Sandpipers.There was never any questioning the ID.
After a few years of chasing around after other
peoples rare bird finds in the UK it became clear that the birds are out
there,it just needs people out there looking with a little expertise.Between the
1970's and the 1990's in Britain the number of birders with good id knowledge
went thru the roof and so have rare bird findings.Waders particularly being such
long distance migrants seem to end up all over the place.
Compared with UK wetlands Australia is by nature
vastly underwatched but I'm sure the rarities are there to find,so like Edwin
lets all keep our eyes tuned!!
Regards Simon Starr.
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