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Broad Billed Sandpiper - WTP, VIC

To: Martin Woodward <>, "" <>
Subject: Broad Billed Sandpiper - WTP, VIC
From: Russell Woodford <>
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 22:48:10 +1100
Hi Martin

Thanks for your observations - all part of the intriguing puzzle!
Steve Davidson holds the record, I think, with 4 BBS at the rocky point
near Beach Road gate. I recollect this species being around every summer
for the last 3 or 4 years. This was my first Victorian sighting I think. I
wonder if they will keep turning up in small numbers like this?  Of course,
we wondered the same thing about Red-necked Phalarope about 10 years ago,
when there were three birds one summer. I don't think there has been one in
this region since!

Cheers

Russell


On 25 March 2014 08:02, Martin Woodward <> wrote:

> Hi Russell,
>
>
>
> There weren’t many waders at the rocky point itself, being 4 Little Tern
> which I clearly identified with the scope, and about 10 Crested Tern.
> However the tide was low at the time (about 1pm), so there were about 150
> Red Necked Stints feeding along the adjacent shoreline. We looked closely
> at all the RNS’s with both binoculars and scope but couldn’t find the Broad
> Billed Sandpiper.
>
> It was later on (about 4.30pm) as the tide was coming in, when we saw the
> BBS with the scope at the T lagoons. At the time it was resting and
> preening itself in a sheltered part of the pond, before it moved off to
> feed casually near some Sharp Tailed Sandpipers, so your theory about some
> shoreline feeders resting in the nearby lagoons could be correct.
>
> From previous reports and the birders I spoke to on Sunday, the BBS’s have
> been located at different sites over the past weeks but all within a narrow
> band between the bird hide and the T section lagoons.
>
>
>
> Regards Martin
>
>
>
> *From:* Russell Woodford 
> *Sent:* Monday, 24 March 2014 10:14 PM
> *To:* Martin Woodward
> *Cc:* 
> *Subject:* Re: [Birding-Aus] Broad Billed Sandpiper - WTP, VIC
>
>
>
> Hi Martin
>
> Were there many waders at the rocky point where you saw the Little Tern?
> This is where 3 Broad-billed Sandpipers have been seen at different times
> in the last couple of weeks. Perhaps the waders feed here when the tide is
> right, and then return to other lagoons? The last time I was at T-Section,
> about a week ago, there were few waders, but they started coming in
> steadily over the next half hour.
>
> And a confession / retraction: I reported 21 Little Tern at that rocky
> point near he Beach Rd gate, but after seeing some comments and photos on
> the Victorian Birders Facebook page, I had a proper look at my own photos.
> I'm now going with c. 2 Little Tern, and some White-winged Black Tern and
> Whiskered Tern, although my photos are nowhere near clear enough to
> identify all birds, some of which may be Little Tern (and Fairy Tern? None
> that I could see). A good lesson in paying attention to detail and not
> generalising!
>
> Russell Woodford
>
> Geelong
>
>
>
> On 24 March 2014 17:37, Martin Woodward <> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> For those that are still looking, my son and I clearly identified a Broad
> Billed Sandpiper at the Western Treatment Plant, T Section Lagoons
> yesterday. It was in the NE corner of pond 3 and viewed with Marsh
> Sandpipers and a few Sharp Tailed Sandpipers. We also saw Little Tern at
> the
> second rocky point north of the Beach Rd Boatramp and a single Pectoral
> Sandpiper at the pond immediately north of the Boatramp, as previously
> reported. Happy birding.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
>
>
> Martin and John Woodward
>
>
>
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