Purple Sandpipers are back at Midtsandan

I have checked the Midtsandan area regualrly during the last few days in the hope of finding the regular wintering flock of Purple Sandpipers Calidris maritima (N=fjæreplytt). After several trips without any joy, I was delighted today to find a flock of 7 birds. This included the ringed bird with leg-flag lime HNU, which was ringed in Svalbard in summer 2010, and has wintered at Midtsandan every year since. So it is now spending its 7th winter here.