Submission No 366: Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis. Bushell's Lagoon, Wilberforce, NSW. 14 December 2001 (Unpublished). Submitted by: Keith Brandwood

Verdict: Accepted

This submission relates to the sighting of Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Bushell's Lagoon, 1 Km north west of Wilberforce, Near Sydney NSW on the 14th December 2002. The bird was relocated the following morning but subsequent searches on the 16th December failed to find the bird.

The description and the photographs leave no doubt about the identity. The plumage, bare-part colouration and structure are such that no other species (including juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Ruff) could realistically be in contention. It was suggested by one observer that the bird was a male as its size was similar to that of a male Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. The presence of dark sub-terminal lines and white fringes on the lowest row of median coverts suggest a first winter bird.

Committee members accepted the record unanimously, making this the fifth confirmed record for Australia.

References and Bibliography:

· Beaman, M. & Madge S. 1998: The Handbook of Bird Identification for Europe and the Western Palearctic, Princeton, New Jersey.
· Chandler, R.J. 1989: The Macmillan Field Guide to North Atlantic Shorebirds, Macmillan, London.
· HANZAB; Marchant, S. & Higgins, P.J. 1993: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds Vol. 2, Raptors to Lapwings, Oxford, Melbourne.
· Hayman, P., Marchant, J. & Prater, T. 1986: Shorebirds; an Identification Guide to the Waders of the World, Croom Helm, Sydney.
· Prater, A.J., Marchant, J.H. & Vuorinen J. 1977: Guide to the identification and ageing of Holarctic Waders, British Trust for Ornithology, Tring, Herts.

Tony Palliser
Chairman Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)