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This mourning (August the 10th) I saw a Marsh sandpiper in winter plumage at the Western Side of the small estuary of Trabeg / Short Strand, east of Dingle. Rogier Kuil (Dutch birder).more Information about the determination: bill shorter and thinner than greenshank, clear white eyebrow, lots of white at the basis of the bill, typically restless/nervous feeding behaviour, overall whiter and lighter than greenshhank. Besides: The bird did not mingle with the greenshanks present (who formed a loose flock at times). Time of the sighting: about 7:30 untill 7:45. The bird was feeding. It remained feeding all the time and did not fly off. I left because my family was waiting to have breakfast. I saw the bird through my Swarovski ATX 95mm telescope, using the highest enlargement for determination (70x) The distance was 400 to 500 meters. This may seem a huge distance, for a conventional telescope like my old Vixen it would be, but for the Swarovski ATX 95 it's no problem. For example: Just a little earlier I saw a kingfisher sitting and hunting at about the same distance and I could see that it was a male because of the all black lower mandible. The weather was dry with a light cloud-deck, so the light was good. I heared no calls. I must say that the conditions under which I saw this bird are odd: in Holland we see these birds usually after eastern winds and as far as I know apart from today there haven't been much eastern winds blowing in Ireland for weeks. Also one would expect at least some characteristics of the summer plumage in the first half of August and not a full winter plumage (without any dots on the breast and the flanks). Yet some individual birds of other wader species are also early in getting their winter plumage. Best regards, Rogier Kuil.
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