Purple Sandpiper

Its been a few weeks since I last updated this blog. Main reasons are little birding, poor photo light and very few birds of note. Since Christmas I have checked the Midtsandan area, just below our house, to see if there was anything around. There has been a little flock of Purple Sandpipers Calidris maritima (N=fjæreplytt). They are remarkably tame, allowing close views. One of these is colour-ringed (left tibia: orange ring, left tibia: metal ring no. 8B10465, right tibia: light green (lime) flag with black inscription HNU). This is a bird that was marked near Longyearbyen, Svalbard on 18.08.2010) and Midtsandan is about 1653 km south of there (data from Sunnmøre Ringing Group). This individual is no stranger, having also been seen at Midtsandan on 08.04.2011, 12.03.2012, and several dates between 29.12.2012 and at least until today (11.01.2013). I include a few photos of Purple Sandpipers, including a couple of the ringed individual.