Another early start for the blueberry picker… I decided a trip to Deeping Lakes was in order, after depositing son Eddie at his fruit farm. On the east pit there were at least four Common Sandpipers and a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, plus I could hear a Redshank calling (but never saw it). The Common Sandpipers were typically mobile, hopping from island to island with their distinctive down-swept wings, and seemingly popping up all over the place. In the photos below you can see an adult Common Sandpiper (the smaller bird) with a juvenile (the notably larger one).
Adult (right) and juvenile (left) Common Sandpipers, Deeping Lakes LWT, Lincs, 5.8.20
Adult (left) and juvenile (right) Common Sandpipers, Deeping Lakes LWT, Lincs, 5.8.20
Ageing them is not to do with size, though, but rather mainly down to the pattern of the wings and back. If you look closely at the larger juvenile, you will see the wing coverts are barred or (even chequered) with fine, buff fringes, and the longer wing feathers have pale ‘notches’. The adult, meanwhile has plainer (worn-looking) wings and some scattered black spots on the coverts and the mantle (back).
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