Semipalmated Sandpiper

17th September 2012

The Semipalmated Sandpiper breeds in Alaska and Canada and migrates in winter to the Caribbean, Central America and South America as far as Argentina. First recorded in 1992, it has probably been recorded only 30-40 times in Scotland and only once previously in Highland. When Martin Benson found a juvenile bird at Harrapool on 7th September 2012 it was the first record for Skye and Lochalsh and a terrific reward for hours of regular watching his local 'patch', and now the best hotspot in the area. There are problems of separating this species from some other small waders but the partial webbing between the toes, illustrated on Martin's image, are diagnostic - hence the name 'semipalmated'. The bird remained with us for nearly a week mainly assocaiting with Dunlin and Ringed Plover and many locals and visitors were rewarded with excellent views. The record still has to be accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC)

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean