Can you spot the Piping Plover?

See if you can spot the Piping Plover in the picture below, one of a few photos taken by Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds staff member Scott Kruitbosch on Long Beach in Stratford. This is not an easy task, but it is definitely good practice! Click on it to see it in a larger size.

Quite difficult, eh? Try this closer view...

If you have not found it yet this final view should be easy...

And there it is, hunkered down in the sand among the shells and other debris. This is a position you may often see Piping Plovers in when they are attempting to hide from predators and other threats. In this case, the bird was seemingly attempting to stay out of the strong wind and cold air while in the midst of foraging, and the photos were taken from quite a distance with a big zoom.

If you are a true Piping Plover master monitor you may have been so talented to see through this little game even further and determine that the first two photos had two Piping Plovers in them. If you have spotted the first one or went back to see it in the previous photos, see if you can detect the other bird.

Below are the three photos with the Piping Plovers circled in them.

This is only a small taste of how hard it can be to see them, their nest and eggs, and young, and why we must be so careful on the beach and help educate others to be aware of their presence.


Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society partnering to improve conditions for coastal waterbirds in Connecticut.