The Wood Sandpiper: From the Ngorongoro Crater to the Siberian Tundra

A Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) feeding in the muddy marshes of the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Cooling its heels

Meet the Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola), an elegant wader that proves you don’t need to be large to be a legendary traveler. Despite its name, you rarely find this bird in a forest; it is a freshwater specialist that thrives along the muddy margins of inland ponds, marshes, and flooded grasslands.

With its yellowish-green legs and brownish upperparts dusted in speckles, it’s a striking sight. Its most distinctive feature, however, is the bold white eyebrow stripe (supercilium) that extends well past the eye, giving the bird a perpetually alert, wide-eyed expression.

Life on the Move

I caught a glimpse of this particular traveler feeding in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, this past February. The timing is key: the Wood Sandpiper is only a seasonal resident in Africa, migrating here to winter in the sun. When the northern summer arrives, it will embark on a massive journey back to the subarctic wetlands of Eurasia—nesting everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to the Siberian tundra.

The Reedbuck: Africa’s Water-Dependent Specialists

A reedbuck doe stands alert in the tall grass. While there is no set breeding season for reedbucks, breeding peaks in the rainy season.

The three Reedbucks of Africa

Across South and East Africa, the genus Redunca is represented by three distinct species: the Common (Southern) Reedbuck, the Bohor Reedbuck, and the Mountain Reedbuck.

While they occupy different niches—the petite Mountain Reedbuck favors dry slopes, while the Common and Bohor species prefer the wetlands and reed beds that give them their name—they share a remarkably consistent biological blueprint. All three are nocturnal grazers and strictly water-dependent, rarely straying far from a water source.

Visually, two defining traits tie them together:

1. The Subauricular Gland: A dark, hairless scent patch located at the base of the ear.

2. The Horns: Found only on males, these transversely ridged horns curve backward and outward before hooking sharply forward at the tips.

These traits are useful diagnostics for field identificaion.

Reedbuck ram standing in the rain. Note the subauricular gland under the ear and the forward curling horn set.

A Closer Look: The Eastern Bohor Ram

Bohor Reedbucks are not easy to find even in reserves where they are numerous. This may be due to their nocturnal habits and preference for tall grasses where they conceal themselves. The Serengeti in Tanzania and Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana are probably the best places to see them. We came across this one—and several females—in the central Serengeti in Tanzania. It happened to be raining and he eyed us briefly before bounding off into the nearby wood.

In the wild, a mature male like this can be fiercely territorial. To defend his patch (can be as large as 150 acres) from a rival, a ram follows a specific escalation of force:

1. The Warning: It begins with a sharp whistle, loud enough to cause the animal's entire body to vibrate. He then jumps vigorously—a display called stotting (or pronking)—to signal his strength.

2. The Threat: If the intruder persists, the ram lowers his head to display the conspicuous white bases of his horns.

3. The Fight: Should these signals fail, the encounter moves to a physical clash. Opponents adopt a combat stance with heads close to the ground. Unlike the high-impact headbutting of bighorn sheep, reedbuck combat is a test of strength characterized by interlocking horns and intense pushing and shoving.

These battles are incredibly high-stakes; it is estimated that roughly one-third of all male reedbuck deaths are the result of territorial fighting.

See a Reedbuck for Yourself

We are heading back to the savanna from June 3–13, 2027. If you want to photograph amazing species like the Bohor Reedbuck in their natural habitat, email us at BibleLandExplorer@gmail.com for travel details and to join our next expedition.