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Friday, July 3, 2015

Saturday's Crittters . . .

 
Piping Plover
 
We took a drive to Lake Michigan the other day
and as we were driving through one of the large
areas of sand and beach we noticed a large roped area
with signage stating that the area was protected for the nesting
of the
Piping Plover. 
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I looked the bird up when we arrived home and found out that the
Piping Plover in the Great Lakes area is an endangered species
and in danger of becoming extinct.  
Identifying, protecting and restoring endangered and threatened species
 is the primary objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
endangered species program. 
 
These small stocky shorebirds have a sand-colored upper body,
a white underside and orange legs. 
During the breeding season,
adults have a black forehead,
a black breast band and an orange bill. 
 
Piping Plovers use wide, flat, open, sandy beaches for their habitat,
with very little grass or other vegetation. 
 
The Piping Plover is very sensitive to the presence of humans.  
Too much disturbance causes the parent birds to abandon their nest. 
(precisely why the area we saw, was roped off)
I found the above info on the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website, Endangered Species. 
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Joining Up With Eileen
and
Thanks for hosting Eileen 
 
 

12 comments:

Gail said...

What a beautiful bird. I hope they are able to save it.

Veronica Roth said...

That's a pretty one. I was just looking for some examples so I can paint a plover. Gosh, I love seeing you create awareness for endangered birds. Such a valuable thing to do. :D

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

He is a lovely little fellow. Have a wonderful weekend.

21 Wits said...

Oh goodness, I wish them luck, such an adorable little thing.

TexWisGirl said...

adorable little thing. i've only seen them on blogs. :)

eileeninmd said...

Good Morning, Lynne! Awesome photo and post on the Piping Plover. Aren't they just adorable birds? I am glad they are being protected there, I would hate to see them disappear one day. Thank you for linking and sharing your post. Have a happy 4th of July weekend.

Kim said...

That's so funny, Lynne, we just saw a small family of them at our beach the other day. They are not normally sighted here. They were just popping around the parking lot. We snapped lots of pictures, they really are cute.

Snap said...

Oh, wow! What a great capture! I love shore birds with their long legs. They always seem to be moving. The Piping Plover is too cute.

This N That said...

Great picture Lynne...Pretty little bird..glad it is protected.Happy 4th..

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

What a cute little bird! I've never seen one before, of course, and I've become aware that the east coast has so many more beautiful birds than we do. Thanks for sharing with us and have a Happy July 4th!!
:)
Mona

Adam Jones said...

That's a fantastic picture and great bird.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Nice shot, congrats on getting one! I hope they are preserved so future generations can see them too.
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