Purple Sandpiper on the Texas coast (1 Viewer)

For the last few weeks our Texas RBA has been reporting a Purple Sandpiper wintering on the jetties adjacent to Quintana and Surfside Beaches, near Freeport/Lake Jackson. This is about 60 miles south of Houston, so we went down last weekend to see if we could find it and we did! It was very co-operative, allowing us to get lots of photos. I've put 4 of the best (actually taken by my husband, as he had the Oly C700 that morning!) on my website: http://helensbirds.homestead.com/purplesandpiper.html

but I'll attach one here, too.

Cooperative???? Admit it, you paid him a posing fee... Great to see that you are out and about Helen.

All lovely shots Helen. I saw them for the first time earlier this year at South Gare and a couple of times since at Hartlepool. They are quite nice looking for a sea bird.

Brian - I am 100% healed now and back to normal living. Spring has arrived here and the trees are full of singing birds. We also got great looks at both a Yellow-throated and a Black & White Warbler last weekend.

BTW, I'm not disclosing how we bribed that sandpiper - well, alright then - we promised to make him famous by sending his photo to the Texas Birds Record Committee to try and get him on our state list!

Ian - hope you are feeling OK after your surgery. This sighting of the P. Sandpiper was a lifer for us. It is rare down here and normally winters on the Atlantic coast of the US, as far south as N. Florida.

Thanks for sharing a very nice photo, Helen.

Candice
Florida