Purple 'Pipers at the Pier.

     Saturday was the only day I had to call a weekend as I do some shifting around at work to settle in to my new role, so I had to make the most of it. I am tired, this past week whooped my butt (that's what I get for after work jaunts to hockey games, museums, and bird talks). I slept in for as long as I could. Tim and I also took some time to visit some family today. And with temperatures soaring into the mid-40's, I had to have a little outside time.
     I decided I'd like to see some Purple Sand Pipers, so I headed down to the place I can reliably find them, Veteran's Memorial Pier, and it's surrounding rocks where land and water meet. It was a good showing, and after a mentally exhausting week, a very meditative escape.

I love these plucky little birds and today, in the high afternoon sun, they had a lavender hue to them, true to their name. It's very subtle, but it's so beautiful when you catch it.

A really nice look at that very faint purple in those scapular feathers and the feathers on the wing.

I look forward to seeing these birds every year and it is so special that they call this rocky, man-made shoreline along Bay Ridge to Gravesend their winter home.

A closeup of that faint purple that gives these sandpipers their name. This is the extent of the purple that gives them their name. In their breeding plumage, this disappears.

The rocks provide a source of food, they feed on mollusks that cling to the rocks and to the various algae that grows on the rocks. 

I also love that you can observe these birds very closely at these sites. They seem to know that the guard rail keeps people on one side, and they can feed freely on the other.

And they are tough, they feed right at the waves, because thats where the food lives!

Most bird I saw were in pairs or up to 5 individuals, foraging among the rocks, following each other along.

I like that you can see the serrated upper mandible. Birds lack teeth, but little serrated protrusions in their mouth help them hold on to any food they find, or to help work food off of a surface.

They are also perfectly camouflauged. If you are not looking for these birds, they blend right in, below your nose!

I can't get enough of these little tough nuggets! 

Also along the pier were plenty of gulls, especially ring-billed gulls. Was hoping to see gulls other than ring-billed, great black-back, or herring gull-- but no dice. One had to go to Prospect for that, yesterday.

Also got some close, great looks at a male red-breasted merganser.

This duck was diving about, searching for fish to eat. These diving ducks are adept underwater swimmers.

With striking colors and a rebellious hair (feather) style, these are pretty striking visitors to our waters in winter.

Mergansers have long straight bills- and those serrated edges are helpful for grabbing and holding on to fish they may catch.

Not too shabby of a showing for nearly an hour out at a man-made pier.