juvenile, Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper has long been an evocative species for me. A rare visitor to Washington, I saw them for the first time at Damon Point, near Ocean Shores, Washington back on Saturday, 28th August 1997 with my good friends Liz Stockwell and Chris McInerny.

Rain the previous night had made camping a rather damp experience however it also produced a large fall of migrants. After returning from an excellent pelagic trip out of Westport, we raced around Grays Harbor to Damon Point to see what the high tide would bring onto the freshwater ponds and shoreline around Damon Point. Even in late afternoon, flocks of migrating western sandpipers were still streaming into Grays Harbor, arriving from the north and dropping from high up in the blue sky down onto the mudflats.

We found the buff-breasted sandpipers feeding along the edge of one of the seasonal ponds. Typically for this species, and most arctic waders, they were incredibly tame, allowing a relatively close approach. Juvenile waders with their fresh plumage always look cute however the soft buff tones of their feathers and bright yellow legs made these look like little toys.

Although we were due home on Saturday evening we decided to stay and camp and incur the wrath of our respective spouses and partners. A tour of the rest Damon Point and the Oyhut Wildlife Area nearby produced a long list of excellent waders, two Ruff, at least five Baird's Sandpipers, dozens of Pacific and American Golden Plovers and lots of Red-necked Phalaropes.

The weekend produced an excellent list of life birds from Baird's Sandpiper and Ruff to South Polar Skua and Sabine's Gull as well as spectacular view, on superbly clear night, of the rings around Saturn. Although Buff-breasted Sandpiper are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful waders I have seen, their real attraction is the memory of that fabulous weekend.