Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) - Ocean Shores, WA
After a 4.5 hr drive and 3 hour walk up and down the beach I was very happy to find this little guy almost in the spot where I started to look for him! He flew in with a flock of Semipalmated Plovers and was a lifer for me! I was struck by his delicate beauty. The light wasn't great (way too bright) and there was a fierce wind (and I was without a tripod) but this is probably the best shot out of the hundreds I took of this little bird. I got to watch him for 30 mins, he was so tame. Then I bought some fish and chips and ate it beside a brown pelican. I never saw the Rare Lesser Sand Plover again that day. I did end up seeing Elegant Terns, Sooty Shearwaters, Heermann's Gulls and Pacific Golden-Plovers among other shorebirds and sadly many dead Common Murres washed up on the beach (they appeared to be mostly males and chicks who had starved to death). I also saw a few pacific white-sided dolphins! I met some really great birders down there as well. All in all a great trip to a beautiful spot in Washington!
Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) - Ocean Shores, WA
After a 4.5 hr drive and 3 hour walk up and down the beach I was very happy to find this little guy almost in the spot where I started to look for him! He flew in with a flock of Semipalmated Plovers and was a lifer for me! I was struck by his delicate beauty. The light wasn't great (way too bright) and there was a fierce wind (and I was without a tripod) but this is probably the best shot out of the hundreds I took of this little bird. I got to watch him for 30 mins, he was so tame. Then I bought some fish and chips and ate it beside a brown pelican. I never saw the Rare Lesser Sand Plover again that day. I did end up seeing Elegant Terns, Sooty Shearwaters, Heermann's Gulls and Pacific Golden-Plovers among other shorebirds and sadly many dead Common Murres washed up on the beach (they appeared to be mostly males and chicks who had starved to death). I also saw a few pacific white-sided dolphins! I met some really great birders down there as well. All in all a great trip to a beautiful spot in Washington!