Purple Sandpiper on So Padre Island

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Today enjoyed a boat trip from So Padre Island to do a little birding with Fins To Feathers boat ecotours run by Scarlet and George Colley. The Colleys are birders and conservationists who also run the Sea Life Nature Center in nearby Port Isabel.
Sandpipers are rare birds in Texas. They winter on the Atlantic coast no further south than North Carolina and breed in far north locations. They forage on rocky coasts like the jetty on the far south end of So Padre Island where this bird has been since it was first seen at the end of November, 2008.
As shown in the bottom pic, the Purple Sandpiper lets the surf wash over it while the nearby Ruddy Turnstone moves away from the wave. Purple Sandpipers are on the National Audubon Society Watch List.

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