Side by side

I ate my lunch at Doran Beach today, where there was a nice variety of shorebirds in Bodega Harbor.  Most of them were too far away for photographs, but I'm including one image for the record.

 

For comparison, it's helpful to have a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and a Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) side by side.

The golden-plover is smaller overall, with a more golden head and breast, and pale axillary feathers (or "armpits").  [It was calling while in flight, and the call is what made me lean toward identifying it as a Pacific Golden-Plover rather than an American Golden-Plover.]

To review some better pictures of a Pacific Golden-Plover taken last October, click here.