August 1st and Stanford’s waderfest continues unabated, producing Northamptonshire’s third-ever Baird’s Sandpiper this evening.
Hats off to Chris Hubbard for his sheer persistence in visiting Stanford Reservoir daily – often more than once – as his tenacity pays off handsomely with the discovery of the county’s third Baird’s Sandpiper this evening. This North American wader is very long-winged, with primary tips projecting well beyond the tail, giving the species a distinctively elongated appearance. This evening’s bird is an adult, aged by patchy upperparts with pale fringes worn off to some extent and lacking the uniformly fresh, scaly appearance of juveniles. It also has a fairly heavily streaked breast.
Unfortunately it hung around only just long enough for Chris to obtain the above phonescoped video and a small number of images before it flew off toward Blower’s Lodge Bay and was not relocated, despite several people searching.
Previous records were at Stanwick GP on 31st July 1994 and at Daventry CP on 29th September 1996.
Northants birds 
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