Tough fellow

Purple Sandpiper, Calidris maritima, in surf , Rogaland
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 500mm f/4, 1/500sek @ f/4, ISO 250

The Purple Sandpiper must be one of the toughest birds in Norway. Spending the winter along the coast in salty spray from never ending waves, crushing against the shore. The little wader is quit easily approached and will let you work around him within less then 10 meters. However, I prefer to keep a curtain distance in order to include some of the environment this bird lives in, and thereby tell a story with my pictures. In this particular case I wanted to show how the birds are feeding on rock right in the hit-zone of the cold, salty waves, seemingly unaffected. I’ll hopefully get time to spend some more time with the Purple Sandpiper before it travels into the mountains to nest. Spring is just around the corner.