MICHAEL NORFOLK

Photographing Purple Sandpipers on Filey Brigg

23rd March 2025

Last week we took advantage of the more settled weather to spend a few days in Filey and, as it happened, we couldn't have chosen a better week for the time of year. We have visited the east coast on a couple of occasions recently and endured very strong winds and driving rain so it was a pleasure to be able to go out walking in some lovely warm sunshine for a change. High tide at Filey was around 7am last week, so our mornings were spent walking along the cliff top footpaths and then after lunch we were able to go down onto the beach in time to meet the incoming afternoon tide.

Access onto Filey Brigg via the beach isn't too difficult providing you're wearing some decent footwear as it can be slippy threading your way through the carpet of seaweed and climbing over some of the more rocky areas but take your time because the effort is worthwhile. Make it and you can immerse yourself in the sounds of the sea, the crashing of the waves, but do keep a close eye on the time as you don't want to become trapped by the rising tide and have to escape via the alternative, more challenging route up the end of the steep cliff.

We spent a good 30 minutes or so part way along the Brigg where I was able to photograph some of the numerous Oystercatchers before we set off on our return via the easier route towards the beach. Don't hang around too long because the tide does come in quickly.

Making our way back to the safety of the beach I noticed some small wading birds feeding on the incoming tide. I wasn't sure what they were as I had only ever encountered Sanderling and Turnstone before but I managed to take a few photographs before the waves caused me to make a hasty retreat. It was only once we'd made it back that I was able to identify the birds as Purple Sandpipers, a common sighting on Filey Brigg by all accounts but an entirely new species to me.

Purple Sandpiper

The following day I decided to return to the place where I had seen the Purple Sandpipers and it wasn't long before I set eyes on them again. There was a group of about 10 birds foraging amongst the seaweed as it was moved around by the waves but I prefer to photograph isolated birds rather than groups so I had to bide my time. What made it more challenging was that at that time of the day, photographing birds in that corner of the beach means you have the sunshine on your right shoulder and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get into a position where the sun was directly behind me and allowed me a clear view of the subjects. A pair of wellington boots might have helped but I wasn't about to get my walking boots wet.

I'm not sure how long I was able to spend photographing them, it seemed like going on for an hour or so, but as the tide came in further the birds began edging further away from me until they were too distant.

Apart from the Purple Sandpipers I also saw a few Turnstone, though probably no more than three, and of course numerous Oystercatchers, but I was quite surprised to see a Redshank in one of the rock pools and a female Mallard basking on top of a rock until the waves caused it to move elsewhere. There was also a Kestrel hunting high up along the edge of the cliff top, something I've witnessed when I've visited Filey before, and I saw it make an unsuccessful attempt to grab some prey although my photographs give no indication of exactly what that might have been.