Dear All,

Many thanks to Graeme Backhurst, Marlene Reid, Bernd de Bruijn and
Neil Baker for responding to my request for June Common Sandpiper
records, and to James Ndungu for giving us a good reason to check our
records. It would appear that Common Sandpipers (although we still
wait for the exception records in Kenya) are a complete migrant, and
the entire population would appear to desert Kenya, although as a
species we are only without them for less than two months which masks
the true story.
I feel that this has been a very useful exercise in contributing to
our knowledge of the species in Kenya, and even if the concept of the
early returnees is not novel, it reinforces the story that has been
perpetuated that presumably failed breeders come straight back to us,
and the research by Graeme and Berndt highlights this.
Neil Bakers Tanzania Atlas Records are very interesting. They show
that there are a few around in June which is intriguing, it will be
interesting to see if there are inland records concerned, or are they
all coastal and well south of the Kenya border.  In July there is
roughly a 400% increase in records, and this certainly testifies fresh
arrivals. It would be very worthwhile to find out if Colin Jackson has
ever seen Common Sandpipers on the north Kenya coast during June? As
Neil says the figures do suggest that there is a movement in October,
but equally intriguing to me is the massive arrival in January and
then falling immediately in February. Does this mean that EA wintering
birds pull out early, or is there a large early passage from the
south. As this is only two months after some evidence of a southerly
movement, it would seem too rapid, could it be that the exodus in
January could represent the birds that arrived early returning to
their more southern breeding range. Generally migrants from the
southern parts of their breeding range have shorter migrations
compared with those of the farthest north leap-frogging over them and
heading to wintering grounds much further south. (There are exceptions
of course).
Delving into the literature was fairly disappointing, and it seems
that there is much still to be discovered regarding their movements.
This is the most southerly breeding small tringa (like), some arrive
back on their breeding areas in late March, but in the northerly parts
of their range it is late April before they are back on their breeding
ground. UK breeding birds are as follows;
"Common Sandpipers Actitis hypoleucos have a short breeding season,
like most waders; arriving back from West Africa in late April, most
have laid eggs by mid-May, which hatch around mid-June. Chicks fledge
by earlyJuly, and by mid-July most breeding territories are deserted."
(Holland et al. 1982).
In "SHOREBIRDS" Hayman et al., it states " Southward migration begins
in late June."

Bernd's Black-tailed Godwit data is mind-blowing, with the continuing
tracking of the New Zealand Bar-tailed Godwit and its short hops to
Alaska for breeding, and the time taken and distances covered in
single stages… it just shows how little we have understood the stamina
of these waders. Black-tailed Godwit is not that uncommon at Nakuru or
Naivasha towards the end of July, I had always assumed them to have
been over-summerers somewhere locally if not at either of those two
lakes, but it would seem now that they too have already returned
having spent time on their breeding grounds that same season.

Best to all

Brian