Purple Sandpiper

Above and below: Purple Sandpipers at Hilbre

The purple sandpiper is usually a strictly coastal wader that visits Britain in the non-breeding season and then flies north to breed during the summer. They are seldom found on sandy beaches but prefer rocky coasts, where they can be seen searching for molluscs and crustaceans among the rocks and rock pools. In the North West They can turn up on any rocky coast from the tip of the Llyn peninsular in North Wales to Morecambe bay in the North. They start to arrive in October, reaching a peak by November and start to leave again in April. By June, at the latest, they are gone.

Identification is fairly straight-forward. They are about the same size as a turnstone, with whom they are often seen, and a dark bird overall. The wings are very dark grey, the head and back a slightly paler shade and the partially streaked breast an even paler shade. They have a longish beak for their size which is dark grey/black with a yellow or orange base. Their legs appear fairly substantial and are bright yellow or pale orange.

In flight they appear very dark with just a faint, narrow white wing-bar and bold white edges on a black/dark grey tail.

Purple sandpiper can be found almost any where on rocky coasts around the north west and in most cases it's difficult to predict when and where they will turn up. But one place that I almost guarantee you'll be able to see them is Hilbre island of the north west corner of the Wirral peninsular, just across the water from West Kirby. The best place to see and photograph them is off the north end of the island by the abandoned life boat station. I found the birds here to be incredibly tame, tolerating my fairly close presence without any sign of alarm. If you can't get to Hilbre the best option is to check for sightings on the Bird Guides web site as once an individual or two turns up in a location, they often remain for a few days.