It was fascinating to watch these Purple Sandpipers in flight, changing direction as one in a split second. Purple Sandpipers have the northernmost winter range of any shorebird, spending their summers on the arctic tundra, and wintering in Maine. These medium-sized shorebirds migrate south to Maine in the fall and spend the winters on Maine’s rocky coast, picking through rockweed looking for small crabs and other sea life. Maine is a key state for purple sandpipers, and it's estimated that 1/3 to ½ of the entire western Atlantic population winters in Maine.
