Probably one of my favourite waders. I think they might be every travelling birders' friend. A touchstone.
I live in Dubai now. I have been here about 2 and a half years. Its not everybody's cup of tea but if you take the politics out of Dubai you are left with an awful lot of birds. I saw this Common Sandpiper overwintering in the man made harbour next to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. In amongst the luxury yachts perched on the concrete of the Jetty he reminded what great travellers birds are. Common Sandpipers seem to turn up everywhere next to water - and especially at migration time. They are quite confiding but if you get too close they will set off on a big semi circular flight to get about 30 or 40 yards ahead or behind you. They fly low over the water with stiff wingbeats and show a white bar along the top edge of the flight feathers. They have a fairly characteristic bob or flick of the tail and pick small insects and larvae from rocks on river edges and shorelines. So here he was a degree or two North of tropics - I'd just bought my Mum and Dad and family a pizza for lunch and we were walking it off along the jetty. Queue "family man" dancing up and down the walkway trying to get a snap of this bird.
When I came back to birding as an adult I started looking for a "patch" to call my own. I lived in South London and worked in the City so I started to regulary walk along a stretch of river from Thamesmeade to Erith. Over time and with the passing of the seasons you could start to predict when Common Sandpipers would turn up. But where were they going or coming from ?
They nest by running water and you find them (if you are British birder) in the sorts of places where you also find Grey Wagtails and Dippers. For about 4 years we lived in the North West and the Lake District was a couple of hours away. We took a cottage one Witsen (Late May) and not far from us was a typical upland small river. So here is a Common Sandpiper - back where he or she "belongs". My kids were paddling nearby and the sun was out. A real jam sandwich with white bread English day. My guess was that there was a nest nearby in amongst the shingle, rocks and low bushes on the shore as there was a lot of disapearing off and furtiveness. Again a one to one with a bird and finally an idea of where they all go.This was the first time I ever saw a Common Sandpiper next to an upland stream.
The bird overwintering in Dubai could now be next to some river in upland Iran or Georgia or the Turkish mountains.
Common Sandpiper - you always turn up (predictably) when I least expect it and you always have a travellers story to tell.
Common Sandpiper - Tringa Hypaleucos
May 2007 - Lake District/December 2010 Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai
75 Points
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