Hooded Plover are small and (according to one of the field guides) tubby! They also seem to have a lot of energy, being constantly on the move. I found these birds on the beach during my last trip away. I tried all manner of stalking methods, but could not really get that close. In the end they decided that they had had enough of me and flew to the other side of a river. As I did not feel much like wading that day I left them to it.
What I really like about these birds is that they are normally only found on wildish beaches – so if you find a Hooded Plover you know you are often somewhere a little beat off the beaten track.
You can find more birds from around the world at World Bird Wednesday.
You can also see the most recent post on my other blog by clicking the Paying Ready Attention picture on the RHS of the screen.
Enjoy the birds.
He looks a lot more pleasant than that nasty cousin of his that swoops at you if you happen to be near his nest. I spied a pair and chicks in the grassy plot right in the middle of a busy local roundabout. I wonder if they will survive. I read the survival rate is very low. I used to watch a pair at a park near my old house and year after year the chicks would disappear...criss crossing the road probably didn't help.
ReplyDeleteI kind of envy all the wild life photos that you capture. Thank you for sharing and thank you for the caption contribution too.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos!!
ReplyDeleteMakes me miss my "home" (Mornington Peninsula)... I am looking forward to visiting my parents in December to get some beach captures, bathing boxes and all things Victorian now I have my DSLR!
Great photos of this little guy. Good info about their plight.
ReplyDeletesmall and tubby. been there; done that. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have plovers (I forget the variety) on the beaches here in Oregon, they are an endangered species for all the reasons you say. It always seems an odd evolutionary thing when birds nest on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI love the 'scientific' word "tubby" to describe them.
it looks nice. It is a bird that don´t visit Sweden. Not that I know anyway.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful species! Really cool find, Stewart!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful little bird... lovely images.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Stewart, but don't get me going on 4WD or ATV. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bird and photos, Stewart! It looks similiar to our Piping Plover and the Semipalmated Plovers.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of a very special little bird. I read the reports about their breeding successes of failures each season. I wish we were better about protecting our special fauna and flora.
ReplyDeleteLove to see this Stewart. I've just been getting to know plovers a little better and find them to be rather surprising birds in that their much maligned silhouette (tubbiness!)belays incredible powers of flight. That they are so negatively susceptible to human activities deserves our special attention to help promote and preserve the plovers nesting areas. We are working on this same problem in Michigan. Important issues!
ReplyDeleteCheers to you good Sir!
..such an interesting Plover to be on the beaches. I see different Plover here that likes to frequents open lawn areas.
ReplyDeleteNice shots of these pretty little birds, Stewart. Interesting info too!
ReplyDelete