Curlew Sandpiper - 2012

Scarce visitor.

Curlew Sandpipers breed on the tundra across arctic Siberia, ranging at other seasons to Europe and Africa. Those in the western sector migrate to winter in southern Europe and western Africa and it is birds from this population which occur on passage in the UK. The number involved varies. In summers when the Lemming population on the tundra is high, wader productivity tends to be high as predators like Arctic Foxes concentrate on the easily obtained rodents, to the benefit of the birds. However weather with predominantly easterly winds that drifts migrant Curlew Sandpipers west of their normal course is required to displace them as far as the UK in any number. The infrequency of the combination of these factors occurring at the appropriate time results in high totals being erratically recorded in Pembrokeshire.

Mathew (1894) stated that the Curlew Sandpiper was an autumn visitor but Lockley et al. (1949) knew of only two occurrences. Donovan and Rees (1994) considered it almost annual in occurrence in autumn but only occasional in the spring.

One to five birds per autumn were put on record in 13 years between 1894 and 1980 also 13 in 1963, when there were few active observers in the county. Observer cover was sufficient thereafter for records to be considered representative of occurrences and this is shown graphically.

Records fell between the 15th July and 31st October, peaking in September when mostly juveniles reported. Peak county numbers of over 20 birds occurred in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1999, the 1996 incursion being unprecedented in scale, with a total of at least 112 birds accounted for, the site maxima being 26 at the Nevern Estuary on the 29th September, 28 at Carew Mill Pond on the 26th September and 29 at Angle Bay on the 22nd September. Curlew Sandpipers were reported from the estuaries of the Teifi, Nevern and Cleddau (many sites as far upstream as Hook Reach), from the islands of Ramsey and Skokholm, from Dale airfield and Blucks Pool.    

Curlew Sandpipers were recorded in 21 years in springtime, between 1959 and 2012. Extreme dates were 16th March and 29th June, with 52% occurring in May. All were single birds apart from 2 at Skokholm on the 16th March 1959 and 2 at Angle Bay on the 13th May 2001.  

The only winter record was of one at Pembroke on the 9th December 1919.

Graham Rees