It is hard to imagine but this is my 13th shorebird posting over the last three weeks. While I saw a number of Semipalmated Plovers last year, most were in their dull Winter plumage. The group we came upon early this week wasa a mixed flock of full-on breeding plumage to the juvenile plumage to winter plumage. I have no idea what accounts for that difference but I also saw the same kind of variation with the Black-bellied Plovers.
These little birds are very plentiful at low tide. Like most small shore birds they disappear into the background. A first glance at a beach seems to yield nothing then all of a sudden something moves. With the binos set on one bird a surprise flock appears where there were none. The beach seems to move with these little birds and others, of course.
I saw five of these at Cape Spear earlier this week along with a Ruddy Turnstone, a small flock of Sanderlings, two American Pipits and one yet unidentified small peep. I think it was a Semipalmated Sandpiper.
This morning when I was browsing Alvan Buckley's blog, I came across the trailer he posted for the new movie, "Big Year." It looks wonderful and is slated to be released on October 11, 2011. I can hardly wait.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCBAP2wId5M
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