Finders in the Field: Upland Sandpiper, Spurn, Sept 2023 - a first for Yorkshire
by Adam Hutt
Whatever is happening at Spurn you will always find me around the Warren area ringing or migration watching, so in that respect Saturday 16th September was no different. I had just finished ringing a Dunnock when an unfamiliar call repeated getting closer, I scanned the air totally unaware if it was a Passerine, Wader, or something else. I eventually noticed a lone bird maybe 150 feet up, assuming this was the calling bird and lifted my binoculars and was confronted by a Wader I didn’t think I had seen before. It was difficult to judge size but seemed Ruff sized or bigger, small headed with a shortish bill, long body but rather potbellied with a long rear end and rather long slender wings. What was it??!! I ran to where my scope was but lost the bird visually in that moment but all the while that call resonated across the sky. My morning had started badly having left both cards for my camera and recorder in the caravan and seemingly the day was not getting better unable to identify a Wader which I could see. I surprised myself by even thinking ludicrous possible identifications which obviously didn’t fit the size, shape or colour of the bird. Even unlikely species like Willet entered my head as I tried to figure out what gave that the call. Sigh..
In these moments I always think it’s better to radio out the bird to alert others to its presence but my nightmare morning continued leaving my two way radio in my car, so running back and retrieving, shouting Jacob Spinks who was up by the seawatch hut and was just about to put the news out when Lance Degnan rang me (he waffled on a bit) but eventually told me to check out the call of Little Curlew (which I quickly discounted on a quick listen) so put the news of the strange calling Wader out on the radio. Quickly Colin Bushell responded saying he’d had the same bird up at long bank but flying away he didn’t know what he had seen. Soon after Lance Degnan (with obviously much greater knowledge than me) rang again and said “have a listen to Upland Sandpiper” which on the first selection on xeno canto, left me in no doubt about the ID and what I had seen in flight fell into place. I radioed it out as a definite and suggested people check the grassy areas down the peninsula. Soon after several electric bikes buzzed by heading down to check out suitable locations. Zach Pannifer along the canal didn’t see the bird but recognised the call and concurred with the ID. Looking back I can see why they call it the ‘Quail’ call.
In what seemed like a blur two ‘superb’ record shots of the bird by Harry Appleyard who was along the canal appeared on our WhatsApp group, adrenalin levels rose and some juicy swear words emitted from my mouth in that moment. Jacob next to me at this time looked inconsolable. It was also around this time though the sense of what they had missed then perhaps infuriated the 12 or so birders who had been stood seawatching oblivious to the bird behind them who could have been alerted earlier? The picture was complete when Josh Hedley uploaded a recording of the Upland Sandpipers repeated call as it flew south over him but like Zach he failed to see what the call came from and the Merlin app didn’t give any clues! Oh, I also had the Merlin app which I failed to use!
On Saturday 16th September I found the first Upland Sandpiper for Spurn and Yorkshire as it flew south past the Warren, but it turns out I wasn’t the first to see it or even hear it, let alone get a photo or record its call. If I was, I’ve no doubt I would still be scratching my head to its ID without the Spurn team who were much more switched on than me that day. I’m still having it as a found tick though.
Adam Hutt
28 September 2023
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