The Piping Plover Chicks Expand their Territory

I visited and monitored the Piping Plover family early this morning. Everyone seems to be doing well. Some vigorous skirmishes with Killdeer took place - everyone wants that coveted Northeast corner!

The best part of the morning was when the chicks decided the fenced-off area was getting too boring for them and they needed to explore beyond it - and explore they did! They came to within 20 ft of the wall, to Maggie’s, Dori’s and my greatest delight. We could actually see them without binoculars! They are now 9 days old, have grown in size and the gray feathers are starting to come out on their backs. Here are a two sets of photos from today, taken by Tamima Itani and Dori Levine, respectively. Don’t you love the bit of sand on their bills? Reminds me of spaghetti sauce on kid’s hands and faces! (Photos credit and copyright T. Itani and D. Levine. Photos may not be used or reproduced without permission.)

Photos below by Tamima Itani (click on photos to see more):

Photos below by Dori Levine (click on photos to see more):