Wildlife Photographic Journals

Seeing Purple

A recent trip to the local shore found me looking on the rocks, that make up the sea defences, for roosting waders. It was a big tide which forces the birds up the rocks and closer to the camera. The sun shone but there was a near gale blowing onshore making holding the camera steady tricky and causing lots of airborne sea spray. Saltwater and electronics are a bad mix and if you are ever out in these conditions it pays to give the camera and lens a good clean on returning home.

As I looked out upon the waders the first that caught my eye were two redshank braced against the wind.

As I was looking through the groups of turnstones I started spotting purple sandpiper which I was not expecting as they usually appear a little later in the year. There were seven birds present so I spent the rest of the short session concentrating on them. These birds are well adapted to walking around over rocky habitat and seem quite comfortable perched on near vertical sides of rocks.

The name Purple sandpiper appears a bit misleading when you see these birds for the first time but with a bit of sunshine on the back feathers and all is revealed.

They are wonderful little birds and always a joy to photograph.

My favourite photo of the session is the last of this post. I love the mood and tranquility of this photo. The birds spend a great deal of time with the heads tucked over their backs in the roost position. I was trying to find an interesting photo of them in the roost position and noticed this bird standing in the shadow of the rocks and spotlighted by the sun appearing through a crack in the boulders.