Diminutive bird breeds in Alaska and Arctic Canada and sightings in Britain are rare enough to attract a crowdIf you’d asked me which rare bird I might see in Somerset in early January, the least sandpiper would have been very low on my list. Yet on a fine, bright, chilly morning here it was: running along the edge of the water like a clockwork toy, probing the mud for food with its stubby bill.This species is well-named. It is the world’s smallest wading bird, just 13-15cm long and weighing less than 30 grams – about the same as a house sparrow. Even its scientific name, minutilla, is Latin for “very small”. Standing next to a dunlin and a teal, it made them look enormous. Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/08/birdwatch-an-unlikely-encounter-with-the-least-sandpiper-in-somerset
Author : Stephen Moss
Publish date : 2025-01-08 06:00:00
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Birdwatch: an unlikely encounter with the least sandpiper in Somerset
