The Spotted Sandpiper. First Winter juvenile A North American breeding species, a rare vagrant to the UK

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The Spotted Sandpiper is described by "Birdguides" as a very rare bird. Therefore after the postman had delivered my new lens I was off to the very near location of Topsham where one had been reported yesterday. As Murphy seems to have a hand in most of my bird photography exploits of late, I was hopeful and optimistic but prepared for disappointment as well. I parked the car easily and made my way past the rec towards a couple of "tooled-up" characters. One turned out to be Dave Stone and the other another gentleman that I see if ever there is something worth chasing. I knew I was in the correct spot. Pleasantries were shared and then as if by magic our bird flew to a spot just to our left and quite close. I scrambled to get myself set, fixing my lens to the camera and then lying prone to get the shots I wanted. Murphy was on hand and had by now put a cloud over the sun which 10 minutes earlier was blazing down. So with poor light getting worse I snapped away.

Observations proved it to be a first winter bird showing characteristic baring on the wing coverts. I was impressed by the yellow feet and pinkish bill. It would be very easy to miss a bird like this in bad light, not look properly and imagine you were watching a Common Sandpiper. I will post more pictures here later when I have had the time to develop them, please check back.

Having done a bit of research it seems that the last Spotted Sandpiper in Devon was on November 22nd 2006 when a bird was seen for the last time on Upper Tamar lake after spending 45 days there. The bird at Topsham is therefore, very notewarthy and an extreme rarity for the County and the first sighting for the River Exe. I can't emphasise how easy it would be to overlook t a bird like this being, in this stage of plumage very similar to a Common Sandpiper only obviously different by the yellow legs.
I am pleased to have been able to contribute a few photos for Rarebird.