Purple Sandpiper. Jūras šņibītis. Calidris maritima. Meerstrandläufer. Skärsnäppa. Meriüdi meririsla. Морской песочник. 

• Till 2011, this bird was seen in Latvia around 25 times, not a lot. 2011 changed it a bit (I saw it 2 times, but there were more). I guess it has to do with the warm autumn and late winter. The bird in the pictures was quite brave – wasn’t paying attention to me after the first 30 minutes of shyness. The portrait taken isn’t a crop – if I would have sat down and stretched my legs it would have been walking above my feet. When I had my pictures, the bird didn’t even fly away when I tried to shoo it away.
• Starting tip: masking costume and patience needed. It is shy at the beginning, but after a while it doesn’t pay attention.