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