Least Sandpiper: Finally on my list, this bird was one of my biggest bogey birds and long awaited for. It's been at Steart Marshes since before Christmas and I dipped it the other week after seeing the eagle.
The least sandpiper is not only the smallest sandpiper species but also the smallest shorebird in the world. This diminutive bird breeds in Alaska and Arctic Canada and sightings in Britain are rare enough to attract a crowd.
The least sandpiper is named as such because as I've said it's the smallest shorebird in the world, with its scientific name "
minutilla" directly translating to "very small" in Latin; essentially, it's the "least" or smallest among the sandpipers.
The bird was picked up pretty distant in the thick vegetation before all the birds were spooked and took to the wing where it was picked up feeding opposite the Quantock Hides, just behind the main scape.
