This article, by a then-prominent member of the Club, first appeared in 'British Birds' issue 39:9 (page 285), in September 1946.
Bird and place names were spelt as shown. For their current status, please see our county lists.
Wood-Sandpiper and Other Waders in Warwickshire.
On May 9th and 10th, 1946, I had good views of a Wood-Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) on a marshy area by the River Avon near Coventry. Compared with the Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus), with which I am very familiar, many differences were apparent. The size appeared approximately the same, but the bird was distinctly slimmer, with longer legs. The upper-parts with their pattern of whitish markings agreed closely with the figure of the summer plumage in The Handbook, but the legs were a little lighter than those shown, being a dull yellowish with very little suggestion of green. In flight the appearance was lighter than that of the Green Sandpiper and the white on rump and tail less extensive. The undersides of the wings, very clearly seen in flight, were light grey. The call-notes, heard first on the ground, when suspicious, and in flight, were distinctly higher-pitched and more clipped than those of the Green Sandpiper and altogether less musical. When circling the marsh its high monotonous “chiff-iff-iff-iff…” continued without pause for a minute or more. I was using 8×30 binoculars, but the bird was so “tame” or indifferent that it several times permitted an approach to 10 or 12 feet.
A Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa l. limosa), evidently in almost full summer plumage, was seen on the same marsh from May 8th–10th and a single Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) in partial summer plumage on May 9th and 10th.
R. W. M. Lee.
Reproduced by kind permission of British Birds 
.
Thanks to Dr. Malcolm Ogilvie for scanning the original, from his collection.
Ornithology in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire & the West Midlands county, since 1929.
Fetched from http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/bibliography/british-birds/39-285.htm on Friday 25 July 2008 19:41:39
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