Another northern visitor...purple sandpipers

Another Arctic visitor to Newfoundland during the winter months are Purple Sandpipers. How they can survive the winter storms around here is anyone's business. They must be a tough customer!

Here they are peaking over a rock...or am I doing the peaking!

Wow, beautiful pics Todd! They must be very tuff little birds. Thanks for posting these!

Great pictures Todd!
With all of continental Canada in-between us, there sure are a lot of species not found on both sides. So many of the pictures you post are new to me.

Wonderful, Todd - they are adorable as well as tough!!

beautiful! and look at all that snow!

Very similar to your Rock Sandpiper. some authorities even consider Rock Sandpiper to be just a subspecies of Purple Sandpiper.

Resin

Methinks that's coastal surf, not snow! (they feed on rocky shorelines)

Resin

Definitely. Some even spend the winter well north of the Arctic Circle in northernmost Norway, where they have to cope with two months of complete darkness, as well as cold

Where I am at 55°N, the number wintering is declining, as fewer of them are bothering to migrate this far south with global warming.

Resin

Yes, its coastal surf in the background. Mind you, we have about 5 feet of the white stuff right now so it could just as well be snow! On the east coast of NA, Newfoundland is about as far north as they stay in winter. Most overwinter south to Boston. (PS, please send some global warming this way!)

Sending warm wishes from Texas to melt your snow Todd! Cute little birds, no coast near me, but I can enjoy your pictures. Can't imagine what they would find to eat in that climate. Whatever washes up from the ocean currents I guess.

Beautiful pictures as usual Todd. Those birds sure look fat and happy - or maybe they're just fluffed up to stay warm :-)

--Ginny