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6+ years of plover love/research/conservation more than warrants perma-Plover Princess status… Three little plover feet gracing my own, for the 3 years of fieldwork for my PhD, & years I spent on other shorebird research. Think it's safe to say I REALLY appreciate plovers! #PloverAppreciationDay (at Grotto Bay)
Carrying over from #PloverAppreciationDay…a fun challenge for this week’s #ShorebirdSunday… Yes, there really is a Three-banded Plover sitting on a nest in this photo…can you spot it?! 🔍🤔 (Swipe through ➡️ for the answer…) #WheresWaldo #HideAndSeek #plover #shorebirds #waders #charadrius #charadriiformes #ShareTheShores #KnowYourPlover #LoveAPlover #ploverlover #ThinkBeachBirds #breedingbirds #camouflage #hiding #scicomm #challenge #game #search #find #nest #fieldwork #research #conservation #beach #dunes #wow (at Lookout Beach Plettenberg Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFXfXJhgKQ-/?igshid=o87albpviquu
@uct_biosci_postgrads #UCTBioBLC2020 #Challenge10: A fitting #tbt, following #PloverAppreciationDay…a few happy snaps from plover fieldwork! 1️⃣ Putting bands/rings on a White-fronted Plover chick…which are used to identify the birds, & keep track of survival + movements as it gets older. (📸: video still by Claudio Velasquez Rojas) 2️⃣ French ecologist Marie Pascal-Colace & I conducting a “Manipulated Disturbance Trial” on a plover nest, to determine the “Flight Initiation Distance”…fancy science-speak for walking toward a plover sitting on a nest, & measuring how far away a parent bird does certain things, like notice us, stand up, bury the eggs, & run away…plus how long it takes them to go back once we’ve left the area. (📸: Gilles Raye) 3️⃣ Me & “Amelia Bird” (named after my sister!), when I caught her to put on her leg bands, & check her + “Sean Bird’s” nest. #plovers #shorebirds #avesplayeras #waders #charadrius #charadriiformes #conservation #ShareTheShores #KnowYourPlover #LoveAPlover #ThinkBeachBirds #scicomm #coast #beach #breedingbirds #birdbanding #birdringing #research #fieldwork #birdsofsouthafrica #WomenInSTEM #LatinaInSTEM #LatinxInSTEM (DISCLAIMER: All capture, handling, ringing/banding, & other research activities conducted under the appropriate permits, & only by trained, experienced personnel!) (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFP3Ek1AhVY/?igshid=1vvcy8ili1eiv
Keeping with the #ploverlover theme for #PloverAppreciationDay…some silly "insider" knowledge of the #birdnerd world for #WaderWednesday: In the Americas, a 4-letter code is often used as shorthand for bird names. It's super helpful, & also quite hilarious when you pronounce the abbreviations, which is a common way to refer to the birds! (i.e. Turkey Vulture as TUVU/"too-voo," Peregrine Falcon as PEFA/"pee-fah,” etc.) With some of my favourite plovers, it’d be… 1️⃣ White-fronted Plover — WFPL, "whiff-pull" (my study species!) 2️⃣ Kittlitz's Plover — KIPL, "kip-pull" 3️⃣ Three-banded Plover — TBPL, "tibb-pull" 4️⃣ Chestnut-banded Plover — CBPL, "syb-pull" 5️⃣ Snowy Plover — SNPL, “snip-ull” Admittedly, none of them look particularly amused by this… 😹😹😹😹😹 What would yours be? #plovers #shorebirds #waders #charadrius #charadriiformes #conservation #ShareTheShores #KnowYourPlover #LoveAPlover #ThinkBeachBirds #scicomm #coast #beach #breedingbirds #research #awareness #environmentaleducation #feathers #birdsofsouthafrica #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CFNjlJFA1Nj/?igshid=26deiwr2mpgm
Yayyy, it’s #PloverAppreciationDay!! Really…how can we NOT appreciate these incredible little birds?! Though they may be small & look just drab, sandy brown…they’re absolutely adorable, & even if subtle, far more beautiful than initially meets the eye! Knowing shorebird populations around the globe are in decline, & the important insight they can offer us about habitats they (& we) depend on, it’s critical to acknowledge & be aware of the issues they face, & how to reduce our impact! We can make mindful choices about our outdoor activities, that can make life a little easier for them…check out the many useful tips & great #plover & #shorebird info from around the world by exploring the #ShareTheShores, #KnowYourPlover, #LoveAPlover, #ThinkBeachBirds, & #PloverLover hashtags!! 1️⃣ A female White-fronted Plover shades her eggs from the heat of the summer sun…(📸: video still by Claudio Velasquez Rojas) 2️⃣ This nest next to a ball of discarded fishing line still haunts me, years later…a nightmare of danger for plovers, with their long toes & legs at risk of easily getting entangled! 3️⃣ A young plover chick “crouches” to hide in plain sight among washed up eel grass. 4️⃣ The understatedly beautiful wing plumage (feathers) of the White-fronted Plover…my favourite are the tertial “streamer” feathers, closest to the body! #plovers #shorebirds #waders #charadrius #charadriiformes #conservation #scicomm #coast #beach #breedingbirds #birdbanding #birdringing #camouflage #babybird #nest #wing #feathers #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #plasticpollution #marinedebris (DISCLAIMER: All capture, handling, ringing/banding, & other research conducted under the appropriate permits, & only by trained, experienced personnel!) (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFM-wsFADdd/?igshid=1c55bhrrf8f3u
@uct_biosci_postgrads #UCTBioBLC2020 #Challenge11: Following #WorldShorebirdsDay, & with #PloverAppreciationDay right around the corner (this Wednesday, 16 September), a #ploverlover edition of #ShorebirdSunday! I’ve been specialising in coastal birds (shorebirds, seabirds, & others) for most of my career thus far, studying &/or working with shorebird research & conservation projects since 2011…particularly examining the effect of visitors on the beach on the breeding success of these shorebirds that nest in the sand…making them very vulnerable! To illustrate why disturbance from people is an issue… 1️⃣ White-fronted Plovers often bury their small eggs, to further hide them from potential predators. 2️⃣ See how the footprints go right next to the nest?! 3️⃣ Can you find the plover chick? These tiny babies use camouflage as their only line of defence. (Swipe ➡️ to 4️⃣ & 5️⃣ for the answer!) 6️⃣ People & dogs in the area scare & keep birds away, making nests more susceptible to not hatching & chicks less likely to survive, due to predators (like this ever-watchful Kelp Gull), trampling (by us or our dogs), the weather (both hot & cold temps, rain, wind, etc.), starvation, & abandonment (from the parents just being too scared for too long to come back). 7️⃣ But why does this matter? Birds are a good “indicator species” that signal healthy habitats…& in this case, can tell us a lot about our use of the beach. Too much can lead to coasts eroding and becoming unstable…then needing extensive (+expensive, complicated) restoration to protect homes, businesses, beach access, etc. (& thus tourism + other economies). So if shorebirds aren’t doing well…then maybe the beach isn’t doing so great, either! 8️⃣ So it’s best to find ways to #ShareTheShores, to protect not only the birds, but also important coastal ecosystems! Easy tips: look out for signs of nesting areas & other beach regulations, stay out of dunes & plants, walk near the water/wet sand, & please keep your dog on a lead! #shorebirds #waders #plovers #charadriiformes #charadrius #nest #babybirds #conservation #research #fieldwork #awareness #environmentaleducation #beach #coast #ThinkBeachBirds (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFFuvy-gbPP/?igshid=2iw8752upiob
#KnowYourPlover Last but not least, visiting the other side of the world…Australia & New Zealand's plovers! 7⃣ Hooded Plover / Nyungar: dirl-dirl — Southern Australia & Tasmania 8⃣ Shore Plover / Māori te reo: tuturuatu — Chatham Islands 9⃣ Wrybill / Māori te reo: ngutuparore — coastal pockets of NZ N Island, central NZ S Island #PloverAppreciationDay #shorebirds #ploverlovers #ShareTheShores https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hjIPPgMEV/?igshid=lnyl95syhgbj
#KnowYourPlover Next, featuring a few local South African plover species… 4⃣ Kittlitz's Plover / Afrikaans: Geelborsstrandkiewiet ("golden-breasted plover") — most of sub-Saharan Africa 5⃣ Three-banded Plover / isiXhosa: Unokrekre — much of Southern Africa 6⃣ White-fronted Plover / isiXhosa: Unotelela — coasts & some inland areas of sub-Saharan Africa (…& my beloved study species!) #PloverAppreciationDay #shorebirds #ploverlovers #ShareTheShores (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hg4x7gM_c/?igshid=dnh2req2yxan
