Charadrius melodus

This Piping Plover was photographed on Bryan Beach near Freeport, TX. These birds are so cute when they are hunting. They will stand still for a few moments looking around for possible prey items then run over and grab something from the sand. They always seem to be darting around from place to place, occasionally rubbing their feet on the ground. This one brightened up a dreary day. If you look closely you can see that this one has a yellow plastic band on its leg put there by researchers who are studying them. Piping Plovers are considered threatened or endangered due to human disturbance making this study necessary.

To see more photos of this species please look here:
www.pbase.com/dadas115/piping_plover

www.texastargetbirds.com

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