Late this afternoon, when water levels were relatively low at the  
Pompy flats in Norwich, Ed Hack and I there had an initial count of 27  
Least Sandpipers, most of them foraging. Nearly all the sandpipers  
suddenly flew off rapidly out of sight as a small falcon, most  
probably a Merlin, captured one sandpiper and then carried it away out  
of sight.

This leads to a question as to whether, under the circumstances, such  
a count of Least Sandpipers is better entered in eBird as 27 or 26?

Immediately after the predation event we found no more sandpipers at  
Pompy. Even after leaving Pompy and returning about a half hour later  
we still found no sandpipers despite our high magnification scanning  
of the extensive expanse of mud flats then above the water. We did,  
however, see other birds such as a Mallard pair and a Great Blue Heron.

George Clark
Norwich, VT

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