Purple Sandpipers

Bird watchers will know this is on the level, even if others suspect hallucinations.

Purple Sandpipers

Purple Sandpipers really do winter on the shoreline of Halibut Point.

They forage at  the tideline, pulling tiny invertebrates from rocks and seaweed.

Are they really purple? Or is that a flight of fancy colored by intrepid, overly entitled observers at the winter shore? It depends on the angle of the light. The orange legs and bill make a nice complement to the plumage.

The Purple Sandpiper has the northernmost winter range of any shorebird on the East Coast. When the season mellows into spring they take off for nesting grounds in the high Arctic tundra.

They manage to grip near-vertical algae-slick rocks with sturdy feet and toenails.

When an especially large wave hits the rocks, the birds flutter up far enough to evade the incoming water.

Having worked out their remarkable adaptations and reflexes, Purple Sandpipers have a niche with few others at Halibut Point, and none so masterful.

Between tides they roost in sunny spots in the open. They keep one eye alert to danger but are surprisingly approachable.