Purple Sandpiper

December 16, 2016 - A light snow had begun to fall, and the rugged peaks around Dillon Reservoir were now draped in thick clouds. We were driving back from Breckenridge after a thrilling day of skiing one of Colorado's (and America's) finest resorts. As we passed the reservoir, I was not expecting to see much; in mid December, it is typically frozen several feet down, with the only avian life being the occasional raven or chickadee. However, at the mouth of Soda Creek was a narrow sliver of water heated by geothermal springs. This was perhaps the only open water on the entire reservoir.

At the creek mouth, a small flock of geese rested amid heaps of snow, their backs covered in a light dusting of powder. The Cackling Goose was one of my target species for Summit County, so we pulled over to investigate. Although these birds are abundant along the Front Range, they are scarce at higher elevations.

Stepping out of the car, I realized that I had grossly miscalculated the weather. My cumbersome ski clothes had long since been shed, and I couldn't muster the energy to re-layer for such a brief excursion. The vest and long underwear would have to do.  

Grabbing our scope from the back of the car, my brother and I began scanning for a goose that was nearly the size of a Mallard with a stubby bill. However, before I even got the scope on the geese, I noticed a shorebird foraging on the exposed rocks. A shorebird in winter, high in the mountains! We both trained our eyes on the bird. It was plump and dark with a slightly curved bill. Could this be a Dunlin? Something was off. In an instant, it donned on us that the bird was a Purple Sandpiper, denizen of rocky, windswept shorelines several thousand miles east of here. But how? The species should be wintering on the coasts of Florida and Louisiana at this time, enjoying balmy weather.

The snow had become more intense now, whipping across the lake with frightening velocity. Grabbing our cameras, we attempted to obtain pictures from the car, but it was to no avail. We would have to approach closer to get any sort of diagnostic images. Without hesitation, my brother and I plunged into the chest-high snow drifts and began trudging towards the bird, a blizzard swirling around us.

Several minutes later we were back in the car, utterly shocked. Birding had only become a full-fledged pursuit for us in the past year, and yet we had found something that had perhaps never occurred in Colorado before. Racing home, we referenced the Sibley guide and confirmed our suspicions; this indeed was a Purple Sandpiper, and not the similar Rock Sandpiper. Many birders would be interested in seeing it, so we posted the sighting to the local listserv. Almost immediately, we received emails from Colorado's top birders asking for more specific information, as we had neglected to add many details in our haste.

At the time, we were concerned that people would be skeptical of the sighting. After all, who would be eager to jump in a car and drive two hours up hazardous mountain roads to find a rare sandpiper reported by a couple of middle school kids? I certainly would not have been the first to go. But to our amazement, several intrepid birders made the laborious drive the following morning, and got to observe this first state record with us. Fortunately, it stayed for over two weeks and was observed by hundreds from Colorado and beyond. The bird endured brutal weather at 10,000 feet, a marvelous accomplishment for a creature adapted to life by the seashore. It departed the night of December 31, perhaps en route to a more southerly wintering destination (who can blame it?).

Intrepid birders photograph the Purple Sandpiper the day after its discovery on Dillon Reservoir.

Vagrants such as the sandpiper can occur anywhere, and finding one is often simply a matter of being at the right place at the right time (although birding in inclement weather does help). My brother and I are very grateful to have discovered such a rare bird, for it has allowed us to connect with many wonderful people and share a great experience with the birding community.

Link to Denver Post article: https://www.denverpost.com/2016/12/22/middle-school-birders-purple-sandpiper-sighting-dillon-reservoir/