This piping plover father was doing his best to keep his chicks safe and warm as they explored the tidal flats. In the photo above, two of his four chicks are nestled in to brood, and the third chick has just arrived. It also wanted to join-in, and tried to figure out how to get under those warm feathers as well.
It seemed to find a comfortable spot alongside its siblings by jamming itself under the wing too.
But then things got even more complicated when the fourth chick arrived.
It too wanted to warm up under the father plover, but there was limited space available for everyone.
The father seems to be going along with things here...
.... but I can't help but interpret this look as the piping plover version of "You've got to be kidding me!"
The dad seemed to sense this was getting a bit out of control and hopped off of his four chicks.
Once free, he then ran off to the warmer dry sand further up the beach and called his chicks to follow and try again.
Shared with Wild Bird Wendesday.
Nice work in getting those chicks all together Pat. It's slightly comical to look at but of course deadly serious.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil! I know what you mean. I found this whole interaction to be quite entertaining and adorable, but it's definitely serious for a threatened species to rear its chicks successfully. I went back to this beach a week later, and while I can't guarantee that it was the same plovers, I only saw two chicks as part of the the family that was defending the same stretch of beach.
DeleteThis is a terrific series of excellent photographs capturing a moment in time of a new Plover family! Nice work.
ReplyDeleteAs I stood up after seeing your perspective of the plovers, I reflexively brushed the sand from my front ...
Thanks, Wally! And lol about brushing off the sand, it is a reflexive action by this point!
DeletePiping Plovers are surely one if the most endearing of all species. They nest here near Sauble Beach and the last time Miriam and I visited we held our breath when a Merlin cruised overhead. I suspect the plovers did too!
ReplyDeleteI agree, they are a really lovely species to watch! Certainly a tense moment when a predator is overhead, especially for a threatened species.
DeleteI'm visiting from 'Paying REady Attention.' And glad I am. Lovely photography. Look forward to visiting many times in the future. Cheers from Tampa, Florida.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Mac -- and for your compliments!
DeletePiping Plovers are real! I heard them mentioned in a show called Blacklist... hahaha... James Spader was way inland when he mentioned he thought he heard a Piping Plover just to throw somebody off guard...
ReplyDeleteHow do you know it is the father? Do they usually protect the chicks? ..
Thanks, Vee! That's really funny about knowing the species from a show!
DeleteAs for it being the father, I just posted about comparing their field markings. In the early days of a brood, both parents care for the chicks, but from what I've read, it's not uncommon for the mother take off earlier, and then it's up to the father to keep them safe until they fledge.