Hey, little buddy!

This had to be my blip today... this is the second time I've seen this little banded Piping Plover.  Both sightings were at the same exact beach, although the last time I saw him was December 1.  This little guy was banded on the nest in 2014 in the Great Lakes.  

Here is what Cornell has to say about this little guy...  

A small pale shorebird of open sandy beaches and alkali flats, the Piping Plover is found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as well as inland in the northern Great Plains. Because of disturbance by people, all populations are considered endangered or threatened.


So, is it any wonder I had to blip him?  I also saw some other great shorebirds, as well as a few Black Skimmers.  Had I not blipped this little guy, I would definitely have chosen a skimmer.  If you'd like to see my other six top shots for the day, head on over to Flickr, starting HERE.


I am happy to say that I achieved my personal goal of counting at least 75 species of birds over the four-day Great Backyard Bird Count!  Today, I hit 76 species.  And I plan to add at least a few more tomorrow.  I am very hopeful that I will be able to spot a couple of Great Horned Owlets tomorrow...stay tuned!

Hubs and I are off to dinner tonight since I was too busy farting around taking pictures   doing important citizen science research today to get to the store.

TTFN
Debbi