Green Sandpiper?

[Kenn]

Whilst scanning the rock line at Castle Beach today spotted what looked like a sandpiper but seemed bigger that the usual ones.
Had the distictive streaked breast with white underparts and pale legs that looked longer than others of the sandpiper family.
It was a solitary bird poking about in a pool some way from the water's edge.

[gleeber]

I always try and keep away from these threads lizz because I have just a little knowledge about birds and you know what they say about a little knowledge. My wee bookie says the environment for a green sandpiper could be wrong. Birds seem to know there places in the pecking order. Mind you I had a lovely Wheatear fly into my window this morning and Ive never seen one around here ever before. Im in the town and they seem to like isolation. He got his wind back on the fence and flew off after a few minutes. Hes probably on his way to winter in Africa. After snowdrops Wheatears remind me that springs close by

[Kenn]

That's why I queeried it gleeber as I would not have expected to see one where I did but as you say birds turn up in the least expected places.

[nemosia]

Hi Lizz,

Sorry I haven't been looking at the org much as I left Caithness at the end of August. It could well have been a green sandpiper, they are a scarce passage migrants in Caithness with the majority of records in August/September. My records are far from complete but these are the ones I know of.

Iain

First Date	Last Date	Count	Location	Comments
16/08/1989		1	Wick River
17/08/1989		1	Freswick
19/08/1989	20/08/1989	1	St. John's Pool
21/08/1989		1	Spittal Mains
22/08/1989		2	St. John's Pool
17/09/1989		1	Loch Beg
01/05/1994	03/05/1994	1	Hoy
26/07/1994		1	St. John's Pool
30/07/1994		2	St. John's Pool
31/07/1994		1	Westerdale
04/08/1994	11/08/1994	1	St. John's Pool
24/08/1994		1	Loch of Mey
11/09/1994		1	Loch of Mey
11/09/1994		1	Loch Heilen
18/08/1995		1	Hollandmey
18/08/1995	23/08/1995	1	St. John's Pool
10/09/1995		1	Noss Head
12/09/1995		1	Loch of Mey
18/08/1996		1	Scrabster Brae	flushed from burn
22/08/1996		1	St. John's Pool
02/09/1996		1	Achkeepster
06/09/1996		1	Loch of Mey
06/09/1996		1	Castlehill	in rock pools
23/05/1997		1	Halsary
30/07/1997		1	Hoy
01/08/1997	04/08/1997	1	St. John's Pool
28/08/1997		1	St. John's Pool
14/09/1997		1	Wick River
16/04/2009		1	Lybster
04/09/2009		1	Sordale
04/09/2009		1	Sordale

[Kenn]

Many thanks nemosia.......may be I'm not as green as I'm cabbage looking!
Had a treat today was watching a Hen Harrier in McKay Country, what a joy.