In the lee

 

 

Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) on the left, and Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus) on the right, at Point Reyes on 29 November 2024.

Birds of a different feather

  

A few more miscellaneous bird photos from Hawai'i for you...

Above, a kōlea, or Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), all dressed up for the breeding season and departing soon for the Arctic tundra.

 

 

 

Close-up of a nēnē , or Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis), endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

 

 

A distant photo, but these were my first kioea, or Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis).

 

 

 

Also distant, but fun to see a pueo, or Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis).

 

 

 

An ‘ūlili, or Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) on a nice bed of limu kala. (I think this might be Sargassum aquifolium, formerly S. echinocarpum, but feel free to correct me!)  This endemic species is the state seaweed of Hawai'i and an important alga used in cultural practices by native Hawaiians.

 

 

 

‘Ā, or Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster).

Thanks for tuning in for some special guests from Hawai'i!

Driftwood shelter

 

 

Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) among driftwood, 7 October 2023.

A sheltered spot

 

 

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Maine, 15 September 2023

Trio

  

A quick shot, but it's always useful when you can compare several species in one photo.

From left to right: Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus).

Photographed in Bodega Bay on 13 May 2023.

At the beach

  

A couple of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) at Point Reyes on 25 November 2022.

 

 

Lingering

  

We lingered at the coast for a little while after work today (6 September 2022).  The tide was pretty high, but there were some shorebirds gathered along the harbor side of Doran Beach.  Above, a shorebird flock mostly made up of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) but there's one Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), too.  [Look for the one with the brownest back.]

And below, a Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) was feeding on the flats.  It's the bird on the far right.  There are two Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) in the center and on the left, and a Least Sandpiper on the foreground.

 

 

Orange highlights

  

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Salmon Creek Beach, 8 August 2022

In the late afternoon

  

Roosting Sanderlings (Calidris alba) above, and a Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) below, sheltering behind a small mound of sand. Both photographs from 25 December 2021.

 

 

October at the beach

  

While working on a project in the Bodega Dunes yesterday (15 October 2021), I heard some plovers calling and then out of the corner of my eye I noticed a plover that looked like a good candidate for a golden-plover.  So I took a closer look and had distant but nice views of a Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) — luckily I had a large lens on my camera at the time.

 

 

 View of the golden coloration on the back and the long legs:

 

 

 
And a broader view, with lots of Bull Kelp and mole crab molts washed ashore:

 

 

 

A nice fall scene! 

Poolside

 

 

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), 24 September 2021

2+2+2

 

Two Semipalmated Plovers (dark breast band, more uniform back color), two Least Sandpipers (smaller, browner, on the left), and two Western Sandpipers (upper right), 1 August 2020

 

Snowy in the mountains and snowy on the beach

 

Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus), Dillon Beach, 28 November 2019

 

The golden hour

 

During our beach walk on 2 November 2019, a flock of shorebirds flew by and I noticed a golden-plover (Pluvialis sp.) among them.  Although the sun was setting and the light was getting dim, a few photos came out well enough to share.

Note the golden coloration, especially noticeable on the back feathers:

 

The plover was feeding along the surf zone.  Below are a few different positions and angles:

 

 

 

Although the next photo is a little blurry, it's not a bad comparison of a golden-plover (Pluvialis sp.) and a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola).  It's helpful that both birds are in the same position:

 

P.S.  For anyone wondering, I haven't identified the golden-plover to species because I'm uncertain about the identification.  I was leaning towards Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) rather than American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) mostly based on the number of visible primaries (three?  it's possible there were three on one side and four on the other) and the primary extension beyond the tail (relatively short?), but it was also difficult to judge those characters from my photos, so I've left it as golden-plover (Pluvialis sp.) for now.  If you have thoughts about the i.d., I'd love any feedback.

Phalaropes and friends

 

There are still quite a few Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) in Bodega Harbor.  When leaving work tonight, we noticed this group in a salt marsh pool.  Much of the water had drained out, so the phalaropes were very concentrated.  (There are over 65 phalaropes in the photo above.)

Some other shorebirds joined the phalaropes, and since it's always helpful to have views of species next to each other, here are a few examples.  See if you can spot the birds that look different than the phalaropes.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

A Least Sandpiper (browner) and two Western Sandpipers (pale gray) on the mud behind the phalaropes.

 

A Least Sandpiper (browner, far left) and two juvenile Western Sandpipers (upper right) behind the phalaropes.

 

Two Semipalmated Plovers (foreground left, and center) and two Least Sandpipers (far right, and third from left in upper group). 

P.S. The entry ponds at the start of Doran Beach are also a great spot to check for phalaropes.

The one time

The one time when you don't want to see a Peregrine Falcon?

 

When you're trying to count these: 

The scenario: When we've planned a shorebird count, it's the one time when I hope not to see a falcon.  But today wasn't that day.  

We try to count shorebirds (sandpipers and plovers) when they're standing on the tidal flats — where we can scan across a relatively stationary flock to get a good count of the number of individuals.  When a falcon flies by, all of the shorebirds take off, swerve in unison to avoid the falcon, scatter, and eventually land somewhere else, making counting very difficult! 

P.S.  The shorebirds in the photo above are primarily Dunlin, with a few Sanderlings, and one Black-bellied Plover.

P.P.S.  I don't think I'm ever truly disappointed to see a Peregrine Falcon.  Although they do complicate our surveys, it always feels special to see them.

Rainy and snowy

Rain showers, dynamic clouds, and a few rainbows today (29 November 2018):

 

And a Snowy Plover in the fading light on Salmon Creek Beach:

 

Trio at twilight

While walking Salmon Creek Beach at the end of the day today (3 November 2018), Eric and I noticed three Pacific Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) feeding on the upper beach.  The light was fading and they were a bit distant, but here are a few shots for the record. 

Views of single birds:

 

 

 

Two together:

 

And all three:

 

A nice way to end the day!

P.S.  For more information about golden-plovers, you can review some earlier posts, e.g., "Going for gold" on 20 October 2012 and  "Golden-plover, Part 2" on 23 October 2016.

Among the stones

 

On the way home from work tonight, I noticed a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) flying low over a field.  It reminded me of this Killdeer nest that I photographed a couple of years ago.  The patterning on the eggs looked remarkably similar to the little pieces of granite scattered around the nest site.

 

At twilight

Today didn't go quite as planned, so I ran out of time again.  I should be able to pull together the "Ultra Violet mystery" story tomorrow.  

Tonight I'll leave you with a beautiful Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) on the outer beach at twilight: