October

Wood Sandpiper is a common spring / autumn passage migrant and winter visitor of Hong Kong. They pass through Hong Kong to migrate to Southeast Asia and Australia for wintering, or spend the winter directly in Hong Kong. Wood Sandpiper can be found in any types of flooded open area, and especially the freshwater wetlands. It is usually not found along the coasts, except for brackish water wetlands like mangrove swamps.

As a type of waders, Wood Sandpiper is usually found near water in Hong Kong. How is it related to ‘wood’? During the breeding season, Wood Sandpiper is indeed closely associated with woodland. After wintering at the South, they return to Northern Eurasia from May to mid-July to breed in sites such as boreal forest and the open, swampy area within, at scrublands between tundra, and at mossy or grassy marshes, or nest on the ground among dense vegetation.

To identify the Wood Sandpiper, you may note that its dark brown upperparts are densely covered with light spots. It also has the white prominent ‘eyebrow’, and the light yellow to olive-green legs. During wintering, they usually aggregate in small scattered groups, probing for small preys like insects and crustaceans on shallow waters or wet mud. In suitable habitat they may also gather into larges groups of several hundreds. Come and see if you can separate it from other types of sandpipers and snipes in Wetland Park!