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Terek Sandpiper
Carmel River mouth
Monterey Co., California
2 Sep 1988

This was the first (and remains the only) California record of this old world species. It was seen by hundreds of people at the time and was very well publicized. I bet virtually every birdwatcher in California in 1988 saw this bird. The main photo shows it in some beach debris, while the 2nd photo shows the bird on the beach with a Willet in the background. The Terek is about the size of a Solitary Sandpiper.

There are occasional records of this species in Alaska, and on the Aleutians it is probably annual, but mainland U.S. records are very rare.