Thanks to the Israel Bird Ringing Center for the report, Katya Rudnev for photos, and colleagues at @niozsearesearch.bsky.social for long-term ringing and tracking and to @natuurmonumenten.bsky.social for permission to perform our research on Griend.

If you observe a colour-ringed Sanderling, please report it here (photos help!): submit.cr-birding.org/projects/181/

Reports are useful for studies of migration routes and survival. I am also interested in counts of adults and juveniles within flocks #CitizenScience

Will the bird stay in Israel this winter, or continue to the East African coast (where many Siberian-origin Sanderlings likely winter)? We’re watching closely. #AfricanEurasianFlyway

Are Sanderlings seen in Israel usually Greenlandic, or could this be Siberian origin? Was this juvenile born in Greenland—or farther east?

Questions: Why the route change? Was this bird travelling alone (no experienced guides)? How often do juvenile Sanderlings push inland routes across Europe?

Map shows all out-of-Netherlands sightings of Wadden Sea colour-ringed Sanderlings (locations within 5 km merged; dot size = number of birds). The Israel point stands out clearly as an outlier.

Reported in Israel, ~3,200 km from the Wadden Sea. Given timing and track, a non-stop flight across much of Europe is likely. Photo credit: Katya Rudnev via the Israel Bird Ringing Center. @shai-blitzblau.bsky.social #Israel #Birding

16 Sept (midday): Tracking shows the bird using mudflats near Griend, then moving SW, leaving the Wadden Sea in the SW corner—before turning SE. A sharp course change away from the coast. #Migration

This juvenile was caught and colour-ringed on 27 Aug 2025 near Griend (Dutch Wadden Sea). A WATLAS transmitter was fitted to track fine-scale movements locally. @allertbijleveld.bsky.social @niozsearesearch.bsky.social #WaddenSea #Tracking

Choice of a non-breeding site matters! Survival and timing of migration vary by non-breeding location. Our study: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
#Ecology

Sanderlings pick their non-breeding site on their very first southward trip, at ~2 months old. They usually return there every year—just like they are faithful to a breeding area. Such early choices shape a lifetime of migration routes and conditions. #Shorebirds

Colour-ring readers jave contributed greatly to the science underpinning 1️⃣0️⃣ years of WaderTales blogs.
One of the best studies, in terms of feedback to observers, is the Sanderling project run by @jeroen-reneerkens.bsky.social.
More here:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/t...
#ornithology

@alexanderlees.bsky.social Not necessarily so! This is just my experience from one location in a large NE Greenland. Colleagues elsewhere in NE Greenland are experiencing a lemming peak year with many snowy owls and great nest survival of shorebirds, as we experienced last year in Zackenberg.

Arctic fox