Pipers piping so Goodie to hear

BILL ODDIE'S EULOGY TO THE SANDPIPER RECALLS THE BIRD'S INCOMPARABLE SONG

- Stuart Winter

VISIONS of the quick-quick-slow march of the dowdy common sandpiper are hard to reconcile with the grandeur of the British Army’s senior infantry regiment.

Little larger than a starling - and with a camouflaged plumage evolved for patrolling muddy waters - this most unassuming of waders rarely stands out from the late summer shorebird flocks who are heading for southern climes.

Yet hear the sandpiper's distinctive flight call delivered on whirring wings and there is an instant hint why it can certainly be mentioned in the same breath as the glorious Grenadier Guards with their scarlet tunics and bearskins.