Purple Sandpiper in Svalbard

The purple sandpiper is a small wading shorebird, which breeds in the arctic.

This picture was taken during my trip to Svalbard in July 2023, just outside of Longyearbyen, close to the arctic tern breeding grounds by the airport.

It was a rainy day, and the plan was to bird watch from a small bird watching house by an arctic tern breeding ground. As soon as we exited the car the terns started chasing us away.

While retreating to give the terns their space (they attack because they're stressed about their young) and protect our heads, I noticed this little purple sandpiper looking at us from the side of the road.

They're so cute 🥹