Purple Sandpiper feeding on ocean beach

["John Fussell" <jfuss@clis.com>]

This morning I saw a Purple Sandpiper feeding
on the ocean beach at Atlantic Beach, NC, about
1/4 mile from the nearest rock jetty.

Later I saw 2 Purples (which probably included the
previous bird) on the little jetty at the bathhouse
at Fort Macon State Park.

I might mention that Purple Sandpiper use of this
jetty (and especially use by Ruddy Turnstones) 
declined considerably after the jetty was bathed
in really silty water for a couple of days--the silt
from an adjacent beach nourishment project.  For
several days, I did not see any shorebirds on the
jetty at all-believe that this was in March.

John Fussell
Morehead City, NC
jfuss@clis.com

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