Shorebirds Report

February 2007

When birding books say that a species 'could be mistaken for' or could be 'confused with' then the bird watcher knows that very careful observation will be needed. In the Tin Can Bay area there are two such species: the Marsh Sandpiper (tringa stagnatilis) and the Common Greenshank (tringa nebularia). Both these species occur in only small numbers around the bay and in ponds close by.

Marsh Sandpiper

If individual birds from both species would only stand next to each other, then identifying them would be reasonably easy as there is quite a size difference. The Marsh Sandpiper is the smaller bird, 20 to 23 cm., and the Common Greenshank is 31 to 35cm. The Marsh Sandpiper is a more slender bird with a needle-like bill. The Common Greenshank is heavier looking and its bill is thicker and has a slight upwards tilt.

Greenshank

The Marsh Sandpiper prefers swamps and brackish water while the Common Greenshank is usually found on sandbanks and salt marshes. However, the birds will occasionally be in either place.

Marsh Sandpiper and Greenshank

We have looked all this season to find the two species of birds side by side but only this month have seen them like this and photographed them together. The accompanying photo was taken in a pond close by the bay. The colouring of both birds is very similar. Both appear very pale from the front view as they both have white fronts. The top of the neck and back are grey-brown. The Marsh Sandpiper has long dusky olive legs, and the Common Greenshank has long green legs.

In breeding plumage both are darker and more heavily patterned. Both eat insects, small shellfish and any other small aquatic creatures. Both species breed from east Europe to Siberia and during the southern summer are found from southern Africa east to Australia.

This last month we counted a total of 33 species and 2591 birds.