A Purple Sandpiper at Walton-on-the-Naze

22nd December 2021

After a great visit to The Naze in late autumn, the expectations were that it would be even better in the winter with even more waders. Sadly that was not to be the case and having walked all the way to The Point we hadn't seen a single wader!! However the tide was on its way in so fingers crossed that some waders would arrive for their high tide roost.

Indeed it wasn't too long before the first Turnstones appeared, after all would it be possible to go to the east coast without seeing a Turnstone?

Today there was even a Curlew on the beach. They normally stay on the saltmarsh but today this one flew in and landed next to a Grey Plover and a Sanderling. Luckily the Grey Plover stayed long enough for a close-up.

There were more Grey Plovers around but were mainly fly-bys.

And no visit to The Naze would be complete with some Sanderlings, feeding on the beach and chasing the waves, and as is usually the case they were very tame.

This one was ringed.

This group were joined by a Dunlin.

I have often seen Sanderlings chasing the surf but never this deep, which caused them to take to the air!!

Ringed Plovers seem to like this beach, but are normally less approachable than the other waders.

I was trying to get some flight shots and checked the images to see if I had the correct settings when I noticed that at the front of the flock was a very dark wader - a Purple Sandpiper. I hadn't seen this one on the beach!!

I eventually managed to track it down, but it was intent on sleeping so no wide-awake shots unfortunately.

However, still pleased as this is the first Purple Sandpiper I have seen on this beach.