First record of pectoral sandpiper calidris melanotus for bali Island, Indonesia, at Serangan Island in Benoa Bay

• Published in: Wader Study
• Main Authors: Jones, Steve, Trainor, Colin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: International Wader Study Group 2016
• Subjects: Bali Island; Indonesia; Migrant; Pectoral Sandpiper; Vagrancy; Bali; Ringed Plover
• Online Access: http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/157657; https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00030

On 19 August 2015, SJ visited Serangan Island, Bali Island, Indonesia (8°44'22''S, 115°13'13''E; Fig. 1), making an initial stop at a large pond in the centre-west near Benoa Bay. The pond is also part of a project to reclaim parts of Benoa Bay and is ‘land under reclamation’; it is landlocked and fed by rainwater and not affected by tidal movements. As the tide recedes thousands of shorebirds and waterbirds disperse to all areas of Benoa Bay, and return again to these ponds on the incoming tide. Shorebird species that stay at the ponds during low tide are usually quieter and hence there are opportunities to take photographs. While attempting to photograph birds of local interest such as Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, SJ took photographs of two birds; one was clearly a Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, but the other with bright yellow legs could not be identified in the field. When the photos were processed the yellow-legged bird was identified as a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata, but when later uploaded online it was confirmed on social media by several shorebirders (see Acknowledgements) as a Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotus. About six photographs were taken initially, but SJ returned to take clearer shots on 21 August 2015. The identity of the bird was then confirmed and it was also considered to be a probable adult female. The key features visible in the photos that distinguish Pectoral from Sharp-tailed Sandpiper include the obvious pectoral band, yellowish legs and ‘small-headedness’ (Fig. 2). It was not seen by SJ on subsequent visits made with the specific aim of relocating the bird (25–26 & 28 August 2015), so it had presumably left the site.