That Purple Patch

Those Purple Sandpipers

After a dubious start to the year I retraced my steps a few days later ... only to be thwarted by the weather again, this time fog! The annoying thing was you could see the sun was out and blue sky IF you could get past the fog.

I called at Fairhaven to see the female Long-tailed Duck which I found at the back of the island but the fog was so bad you couldn't see across the lake. I managed a couple of record shots and watched the duck go about its business, preening before starting to dive.

Overhead I heard Whopper Swans passing and a second group were so low I managed a 'Swan in fog' photo.

I headed north to Blackpool, indeed to North Shore in search of the Purple Sandpiper. After my earlier visit and knowing the beach reasonably well to be all sand, I was intrigued to know what kept these Purple Sandpiper at this location and what and how they were feeding.

I'll keep it brief, FOG! (which is why the images are a bit dubious).

I arrived and the fog wasn't too bad and I managed a flight shot of the Oystercatchers before the fog rolled in even thicker than before, the image of the Tower is just as taken, untouched but no Purple Sandpipers.

I did my beached whale impressions and as I sat up, there in front on me, two Purple Sandpipers!

RESULT!

Femal Long-Tailed Duck

Whooper Swan overhead in the fog

Oystercatcher

Blackpool Tower in the fog

Two Purple Sandpipers in the fog

Purple patch (already)

As always I tell a lie, the day started off on a particularly bad note, wished I'd stayed in bed but I wont bore you with that (except to say I should have known better, a public holiday!); whereupon I decided to revisit my old stomping ground and when I mean old, I refer to the '63 in the title of this blog, the Bispham area of Blackpool and seafront that for years was my stomping ground (and I still carry the scars).

Long and short is, considering the conditions I found myself alone with a couple of Purple Sandpipers among the Turnstone and Redshank. The Redshank were particularly difficult and wont let you get too close, which means 'trapping' the Purple Sandpiper is equally difficult. 

The sun was out! In part, disappearing behind cloud before vanishing for the day. A couple of 'urchins' disturbed the birds to end my fun.

I have also processed a couple of images through Photoshop (I don't normally bother) and I am coming to the conclusion (again) it is all a waste of time because the variation in monitors make the results impossible to predict, so I have no idea what you are looking at!

The tide came in, blew a hoolie and it was particularly angry crashing over the sea wall; care was required, please, NEVER EVER under-estimate the power of the sea.

The sun died, darkness and gloom descended, MORE RAIN but I picked out my first, first-winter Kittiwake and must thank Stephen Dunstan for confirming my thoughts on identification. Not great image but how many flying Kittiwakes do you see, let alone photograph? MInd you the same could be said for flying Purple Sandpipers on the Fylde.

I have a feeling I'll be back.

a suggestion of the 'purple' that gives them their name

picking them out in a roost can be difficult

among the Turnstone, one Turnstone (not shown) with a 'flagged leg' and not using the other

not 'Photoshopped'

through Photoshop... roosting birds only moving when they did 'the shuffle' as other birds joined the roost,
and you know you are not disturbing them if they are in this mode

the  flying redshank made focus near impossible

Purple Sandpiper above Redshank

Purple Sandpiper

First-winter Kittiwake in the gloom as tide turned