Purple Sandpiper - 1949

Calidris maritima maritima

"An autumn visitor; not uncommon" - Mathew.  Tracy called is rather scarce, but Dix considered "about as numerous as the Knot".  It is found all the year round along the rocky coast, even in summer, and is often very tame; generally singly or in small numbers at midsummer, and more numerous in winter.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Purple Sandpiper - 1994

Principally a winter visitor

Mathew (1894) described the Purple Sandpiper as an autumn visitor while Lockley et al. (1949) refer to it occurring all around the year, even in summer. It can be very inconspicuous as it picks over weed- covered rocks and delves into the nooks and crannies of the Pembrokeshire coastline at places such as the Furzenips, Little Haven, Fishguard breakwater and all of the islands. Mathew mentions that it "may easily escape observation, and only a naturalist familiar with its habits would be competent to detect it". It is, therefore, difficult to assess how many are present but records suggests a total of about 40 are present in small groups of up to ten along the mainland coast, and that the offshore islands of Grassholm, Skokholm and Skomer may contain as many again, as does the Smalls, where up to 47 have been counted. Numbers are highest between November and April but a few can be found throughout the year.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Purple Sandpiper- 1980s winter

The BTO winter atlas showed that Purple Sandpipers were noted in three coastal 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The blue colour of a 10km square represents 1-10 birds seen in a day.

Graham Rees

Purple Sandpiper - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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