It’s always nice to meet some old acquaintances. I see Purple Sandpipers every year in their breeding habitats on Spitsbergen. Occasionally we find them breeding, but mainly later in the season in larger groups along the beaches. In autumn they move south to their wintering grounds in Scandinavia and Scotland. In the Netherlands we have some wintering birds along the coast. Most of them are found on the dykes or stony dams, most similar to the rocky coasts they normally use in winter.

During my stay in Texel I spent some time with a small group, this one didn’t mind posing a little.