Purple Sandpipers

I went up to Evie for a walk on the shore. Much milder today- no nice snow, just the occasional driving shower of rain. I headed north along the shore to the point where ten common seals were hauled out at their favourite spot. I don't like to disturb them, so turned and headed south. Passing the spot where a  sperm whale carcase beached last year, I noticed something wedged in the rock. It looked like a shell or a stalk of kelp but closer examinations showed that it was a whale tooth. All such parts of beached whales belong to the Crown in the UK  so, of course, I left it there! Birds around included a single jack snipe, ravens, ringed plover, oystercatchers, curlew, dunlin, and these purple sandpipers.