A birder’s delight- the sandpiper in Madayipara

“I stumbled upon the bird. It looked so rare and its yellow legs fired my imagination,” said Dr Jayan Thomas, a medical doctor and a passionate birder.

Spotting the buff-breasted sandpiper, a vagrant bird from the Western Hemisphere in Madayipara in Kannur was an astounding and incredible sight. The credit for spotting the bird, which is regarded as a discovery, is bestowed upon Dr Jayan Thomas. The Buff-breasted sandpiper was first spotted in Kerala in November 2011.     

Dr Jayan spotted the ‘marvel’ when he was birding in Madayipara along with his friend Rajeevan. The place - a grassy and rocky area of biological importance, is a paradise for the birders. They flock in large numbers with their stunning cameras. 

The bird caught the attention of Dr Jayan in a jiffy. Its conspicuous yellow legs had kept the medico wondering. Eventually, confirmation came in from the international birding groups affirming that the ‘beauty’ was indeed the buff-breasted sandpiper.

Much to the delight of birders, the visitor bird made an appearance in Madayipara in October this year as well. Hearing the news, bird enthusiasts from various corners flew into the hillock. Their trips were made easier due to the proximity of the location to the Kannur airport.  

The author of this article sent the photos of the ‘wonder’ bird taken by Dr Jayan, Aziz Mahe, and Nishad to Bruce Beehler, a globally renowned ornithologist who works with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The institution is regarded as the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex.  

"These are gorgeous images of a sublime wader that had wandered from the Western hemisphere to Kerala. They are nothing but priceless sightings,” Bruce told Mathrubhumi.com after going through the photographs in detail.  

The return of the bird to Madayipara after a hiatus of twelve years was a moment to celebrate for the excited birders. They looked at the bird without even blinking their eyes for a second. The bird watchers made it a point to ensure that the avian wasn’t disturbed at least once.     

“I could see the bird eating rapidly and moving here and there. A sight to cherish forever,” said Dr Jafar Palot, a scientist from the Zoological Survey of India.

The bird which graced Madayipara for two weeks eventually returned to its homeland located in the western hemisphere by covering an incredible distance of nearly 12000  kilometres. Nothing but a ‘mysterious’  and ‘incredible’ migration.

Maybe the migratory bird was initially blown off course to a destination like Madayippara. It's nature's secret. 

Renowned ornithologist Dr Pamela Rasmussen, a citizen of the USA, can't stop talking about the bird. She is in complete awe of the sandpiper. “The bright buff plumages, squared head, dark eyes, pale eye rings, and short yellow legs of the bird are amazing,” says Dr Pamela.

She says the vagrant bird has been sighted in Sri Lanka and Goa as well.

Dr Jainy, a chemical engineer turned global birder, whose photographs of birds have been published in the Yathra magazine of Mathrubhmi opined that sighting the bird was a worthwhile experience.

“Upon hearing the news about the beautiful bird, I flew from Kochi to Kannur to have a glimpse of it,” says Latha Prabhakaran, a lawyer based in Kochi.

Buff-breasted sandpiper is a wonder in its own terms!