Jan. 29, 2012 - St. George Island State Park - Part 2

There are actually 8 Snowy Plovers in this photo. When they are not feeding, Snowy Plovers tend to hang out away from the shore, near the sand dunes. You can see how well they blend in with the pale, dry sand and the short vegetation. All of today’s photos were taken at the far eastern end of St. George Island State Park in Florida.

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Here’s a closer look at one of the Snowy Plovers, resting on one leg. It’s about 6 ½ inches long and already sporting its summer plumage; the dark band across the forehead, the dark patch behind the eye, and the dark “shoulder” patch. Some of the birds in the previous photo (especially those on the left side) are still in winter plumage.

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I also found one Piping Plover in the area. They are just slightly bigger than a Snowy Plover but two field marks make it easy to tell them apart. First, the Piping Plover has orange legs and the Snowy has black legs. Also, the bill of the Piping Plover is short and thick while the Snowy has a thin and somewhat longer bill.

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Several kinds of gulls are here in the winter. This is a Bonaparte’s Gull. Their winter plumage (shown here) always makes me think they are wearing black ear muffs. This species was named after the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a distant cousin of Napoleon.

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Here are some more interesting facts about Bonaparte’s Gulls. They are the smallest gull regularly seen across North America (about 13 ½ inches). You seldom find them in garbage dumps with other gulls. They build their nests in coniferous trees, not on the ground, in isolated Canadian and Alaskan forests.

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Royal Terns are rarely found inland; they are mostly coastal inhabitants. Their feeding pattern is to fly along the shoreline and dive into the water when they spot something good to eat.

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This study of coastline birds wouldn’t be complete without a photo of a Sanderling. Looking like speedy wind-up toys, they chase the waves in and out along the shore looking for tiny items of food. Sanderlings spend winters along our coasts but in summer they go to the far reaches of the Canadian tundra to nest.

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