They say we learn from our mistakes. Lord knows I’ve had my share of “learning opportunities” both in and out of my birding adventures. I’d like to share one embarrassing experience with you in the spirit that you may be spared from learning this one the hard way. Please don’t laugh — too hard.
I was new to the birding world when I heard about the rare piping plover coming to a section of Lake Superior shoreline where they hadn’t been seen for 25 years. It was a wondrous occasion, and I wanted to see it for myself. So off I went.
Upon arrival, I saw barricade tape strung up in a large circle on the beach. The tape created a visual boundary of where people should not go to protect the birds and their camouflaged nests. While walking around the perimeter of the tape, I searched within its borders for quite a while looking for this special bird. Just as I was beginning to lose hope, something spectacular happened.
A plover appeared. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was ecstatic. He was the cutest little thing with his round body, fluffy feathers and long legs. I couldn’t help but giggle as it scurried back and forth across the sand. With a smile from ear to ear, I reveled in this blessing and thanked God for my never to be forgotten piping plover encounter.
I was on top of the world for my good fortune of seeing this beloved bird, that is until I started to go through my photographs. Wait. What? Why does the bird in my photo have two bands around its neck when the bird guide shows piping plovers have only one? No, no, it can’t be. The bird in my photo is not a piping plover but rather a killdeer. You’ve got to be kidding.
Apparently, the two are often mixed up to the untrained eye, but that didn’t make me feel any less embarrassed or depressed. They are similar in that they are both part of the plover family, and have long legs, round bodies, a white breast and belly, brown back and head, and a collar band around their neck.
Lesson: Learn what you can about a bird before heading out to find it including identification marks, habitat, and behavior.
Setting out to learn the lesson, I discovered that the killdeer has a chocolate brown mantle (upper back) and pinkish gray legs. The piping plover has a tan mantle and orange legs. The killdeer’s iris is red while the piping plover’s is black. Killdeer live in a wide variety of habitats including beaches, fields, parking lots and rooftops, while piping plovers stick to shorelines and beaches.
Piping plovers, and their killdeer cousins, both perform “broken wing displays.” If a person or predator is getting too close to a nest, the bird will hop around, flap its wing as if hurt, and make distress calls to distract the threat and lure it away from the eggs or chicks.
To create the nests, the male creates shallow depressions or “scrapes” in the sand, and the female lines it with small pebbles and shells. She then lays an egg a day until a clutch of four is complete. The eggs blend right into the rocks and sand. Once hatched, the chicks are precocial — able to run around and forage for food almost immediately.
According to All About Birds, piping plovers from the Great Lakes population migrate primarily along the Atlantic coast in Georgia and the Carolinas for the winter. They have been known to return north to the same place and mate with the same bird year after year, even if they didn’t migrate together.
The Great Lakes population of piping plovers remains federally-listed as endangered but is showing improvement. From 12-17 pairs in the 1980s, the population has grown to 85 nesting pairs according to the Great Lakes piping plover conservation team. Piping plovers face a variety of threats including habitat loss due to shoreline development, human disturbance, reduction of federal funding, and the frequency and intensity of storms that can wash away nesting sites.
One simple way we can help these vulnerable birds is by respecting barricade tape and signage placed to protect nesting sites and keep ourselves and our pets a safe distance from the birds. Spreading awareness, making a donation and participating in conservation efforts are other effective ways to support them. Visit www.greatlakespipingplover.org for more information on how you can help.
Since my first attempt at seeing these cherished little birds, they have continued to return to this location every spring. Armed with knowledge of the birds’ identification marks, habitat and behavior, I have also returned. Happily and without a doubt, I finally got to see the precious piping plover. Lesson learned.
Lisa Jansen is a Wisconsin master naturalist, nature writer and award-winning photographer. She specializes in raising awareness of birds and butterflies of the Midwest.