October 15, 2012
Marsh Meadows, Jamestown, RI
We saw the dozens birders start running through the other side of the marsh so we
knew by birder body language that they had seen the Wood Sandpiper! We were getting
very frustrated because we could not find how to get through the marsh to the lifer-
mega. We finally found a path through the phragmites marsh, putting many cuts and
splinters into my bare feet, and got the bird!
I was sitting on my butt in the wet and spiky marsh grass (which is very uncomfortable
in case you've never tried it) to keep my camera steady. I was shaking because this was
the rarest bird that I have ever seen. It has only been seen 5 times in the lower 48
states and this is the first New England record. It was a very beautiful sandpiper with its
large black eyes it looked like a BBSA, but the eye stripe and yellowlegs made it look
like a LEYE and the back and size made it look like a SOSA.
It was running back and forth across the shallow, mucky water. We saw it catch a small
fish and it had to sit in the grass for a long time to digest it before it started running
erratically around the mud again.
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