marsh sandpipers & a curlew sandpiper @ SBWR-30Sep2018

Came across this bunch of sandpipers at the island across from the main hide at SBWR earlier in the afternoon as the tide was rising. The rising waters had caused the bunch to move up the slope on the island and they were moving out of their comfort zone.

All but one of the group was of the same species. Can you tell how many marsh sandpipers there are and can you also spot the lone curlew sandpiper?

This number of marsh sandpipers seems to be a recent record as they have not been recently seen at SBWR in such numbers.

The curlew sandpiper can also be considered a rare visitor now as it is difficult to spot especially at a distance.

These birds used to be more common and in much greater numbers about a decade or more earlier. 

Seeing the lone curlew sandpiper at SBWR in 2018 is indeed a rare opportunity.

marsh sandpipers & a curlew sandpiper @ SBWR-30Sep2018 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

sandpiper & prawn dinner @ Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve - Oct2012

I think this is a Common Redshank (but I initially thought it was a Marsh Sandpiper). The reddish legs identify it as a Redshank. The other birds which closely resemble it are the Greenshank (with greenish legs) and the Marsh Sandpiper. This bird had a clearly visible green tag on its left leg. I assume that the green tag was  over a white tag which was not so visible. The green over white tags indicate that the bird was ringed in Singapore. SBWR does ring birds with the characteristic green over white tags to identify that these birds were tagged in Singapore.  It had just caught a nice prawn and was busy preparing it for a swallow. It kept dunking the prawn in the small stream and finally swallowed the prawn whole. I had previously thought that sandpipers went for smaller food items like insects , small crabs and small worms. This prawn was certainly at the larger end of the sandpiper's food list. 

sandpiper & prawn dinner @ Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Here is another clip of another Redshank foraging close to the ringed Redshank.
sandpiper looking for dinner @ SBWR - Oct2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about bird ringing here :
http://wetlands.sbwr.org.sg/text/95-2-1-5.htm
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/ringing/ringing-scheme
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1036271/1/.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_ringing