Through My Lens..... "Pay Attention, Be Astonished, Tell About It" ~ Mary Oliver
Through My Lens..... "Pay Attention, Be Astonished, Tell About It" ~ Mary Oliver
The Piping Plover, a shorebird on the Endangered Species list, captures the hearts of many with their endearing antics, sweet song, and tolerance of our presence.
Called “The most adorable argument against development and reckless recreation” by Don Stap in Audubon magazine, they are at risk, as are other species especially those on the endangered list, from habitat loss and destruction by human activity.
Tiny, endangered Piping Plovers are equipped to do everything an adult can do as soon as they emerge from the egg. This includes vocalizing, or piping. Although their voices are faint to our ears, they are well heard by the adults. They scurry about feeding themselves, much to the chagrin of parents, who try their best to protect them.
Adult Plovers often sit on mounds or elevated surfaces while looking for food. This young Plover exhibits that same natural instinct, assisting them in spotting insects and family members.
This very young Piping Plover spent a lot of time scurrying about, looking for insects. Between bursts of scurrying, it would stretch its’ wings……developing muscles needed for flight.
With a very short time between hatching and the onset of fall and migration time, the tiny Piping Plovers are eager to fly. Their tiny feathers develop quickly, they practice with all their might.
It’s mind boggling to consider the amount of energy needed to sustain and grow these little ones into adult sized birds in a matter of weeks so they can make the journey south to their wintering grounds. In winter months Piping Plovers are found along the coastal areas of North Carolina to Texas, the coast of eastern Mexico, and on Caribbean Islands from Barbados, Cuba and the Bahamas.
Ornithologists are eager to learn more about Piping Plovers, so many of them are banded as very young birds.
This young Plover, banded and identified, searches for food one late summer evening. It wasn’t many days after this photo, he left the beach for points south.