On 25-27 October 2010, I observed Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) near the Tierra del Sol Golf Resort on the northern point of the island of Aruba. This species had not been recorded on Aruba but is known from other Caribbean islands. On two ooccasions, I observed single birds and once, a group of four. The Buff-breasted Sandpipers were foraging in low vegetation in close association with American Golden Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) and Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos).

Note: This is indeed the first record of Buff-breasted Sandpiper reported from Aruba. The observer has provided excellent documentation, provided by way of the photographs below. —Jeff and Allison Wells


All photos by Emile Dirks.