Saturday, August 6, 2011

Beach Comedians... Common Sandpipers and a Semipalmated Plover

A couple of days of R&R with my wife at a beach three and a half hours away gave me some photo opportunities not normally found in my neighborhood.  Sandpipers are familiar birds that are often seen running near the water's edge on beaches and tidal mud flats. Plovers are quick and active shorebirds near water lines, where they will sprint several paces before stopping abruptly to probe the sand for insects, larvae and crustaceans. These little fellows are great comedy, lots of fun to watch. They don’t seem to sit still for any length of time and they are always racing the waves. It was difficult for me edit through more than a hundred photos and try maintain a tolerable number for the blog. Hope I didn't go overboard and that they will entertain you as much as they did me.





Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover




18 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

love the last shot of the wave almost reaching for the bird. but i loved all these shots. and no, you didn't overdo it. :)

Lois Evensen said...

Just marvelous! We spend a great deal of time at sea and in ports. We love these shots! Some of the birds are definitely "jogging on the beach."

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

You didn't overdo it at all. They are my favorites at the beach too, and you've captured them perfectly--Just like I was perfectly caught on Wednesday when I got that ticket! :-)

By the way, thinking I deserved it, I almost, almost bought a new camera yesterday, but when I couldn't find a sales person, I thought it was just not meant to be--At least not right now...

Bob Bushell said...

I love 'em.

Larry Ostby said...

TWG,thank you :)

Lois, thank you, they really do entertain don't they.

Thanks Kim, you probably did the right thing with the camera. You will get one when the time is right.

Thank you Bob, I appreciate it.

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images Larry.
There is nothing to compare with shots of waves and birds... beautiful to see.

Kjell T. Evensen said...

I like the images where the birds are flying near the surf. Great series.

Larry Ostby said...

Thank you Andrew, appreciate the comments.

Kjell, thank you.

Julie G. said...

Terrific images, Larry! Viewing them brought a big smile to my face as these photos remind me of vacations spent down at the beach in Florida. It's always a delight to watch the skittering shorebirds. All the images are wonderful but I was especially taken by the in flight shots. Fantastic post!

Larry Ostby said...

Thank you Julie :)

Samantha said...

Not enough photos! :)
I loved second and fourth shots...fantastic.

holdingmoments said...

Loved all these Larry.
I don't see enough shore birds where I am. I must get to the coast more often.

Larry Ostby said...

Samantha, thank you :)

Thank you Keith, I don't get to the shore often but when I do, I try my best to enjoy.

KaHolly said...

Larry, this is a very engaging series of photos that I can certainly relate to. There is an isolated beach near me where I can hike to and spend the day this time of year, just me and the semi-palmated plovers. I never tire of sharing space with the shorebirds. Or viewing pictures of them. ~karen

Larry Ostby said...

Thank you Karen, appreciate the comments.

Joe said...

Nice shots. Like the one running :).

Larry Ostby said...

Thank you Joe.

Gregory Damien said...

Thanks for the post.

I was at the beach a few times in the last few days. I snapped a few pictures thinking I was capturing Piping Plovers.

A second bird in the shot made me look at your Semipalmated sandpiper photos and there was the plover I had been taking pictures of but it wasn't piping it was Semipalmated. The darker colouring and solid band prove it.

Thanks. I have noted different coloured birds thinking they might be differences between male/female so the Piping Plovers may be there.