Piping Plover of East Broadway, 4/21/12

The Piping Plover duo on East Broadway were today (21 April 12) at around 859-861 E B'Way, the male hunkering down high up on the beach in the highest wrack.  The female was foraging at the water's edge.  The photos show the difference between male and female clearly; also, notice how difficult it is to determine if the male is on nest or just sheltering.


The female foraging in wrack near water




The male: sheltering or nesting?




Long shot of male give sense of place on E B'Way beach.  Can you find him?



Downy Woodpecker excavating nest 14 Ap 12

Two videos of a Downy Woodpecker (male) excavating a nest at Mondo Ponds in Milford on 14 April 2012. In the first video he has just started.  The second video was taken about an hour later--progress has been made, but his tail still sticks out.

Florida butterflies, February 2012

W

White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)

Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes)

Horace's Duskwing (Erynnis boratius)

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)

Cassius Blue (Lepotes cassius)

Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius chitonius)

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Male and female Piping Plover portraits

  Male and female portraits, 11 April 2012.  Here are two head-on shots of male and female Piping Plovers who were found for the first time in front of 715 East Broadway in Milford CT--location just east of Silver Sands State Park.  They join another pair of PPs on Silver Beach, who have been near 775 E B'way for at least 10 days.  Perhaps the PPs continue to arrive from the south for about a month, beginning in mid-March.
  Notice the differences between the two: female lacks complete neck band, and she has a smaller and paler forehead band between the eyes.  She hunkers down to avoid notice, made nervous by my presence and attention.

Florida birds, February 2012, Sarasota area, esp. Long Boat Key.

Forster's, Royal, Sandwich Terns

American Flamingo

Willet

Willet

Royal Tern next to Laughing Gull

Sandwich Tern sandwiched btw Laughing Gull and Royal Tern

Sandwich Tern

Forster's, 2 Sandwich, 2 Royal Terns

Red Knot

2 Red Knots

Immature White Ibis

Female Anhinga

Female Anhinga

 Red Knots (with one Willet)

Red Knots

FOY (first of year): Semipalmated Sandpiper (10 April 12) --at the Francis Street spit at Milford Point.  This lone Semi Sand was foraging with about 700 Dunlin and Sanderling.

Piping Plover courting, mating 4/5/12

Just adjacent to the Francis Street spit of Milford Point, a pair of Piping Plovers courts and mate on Cedar Beach, Milford CT, 4/5/12. Piping Plovers returned to Milford Point on March 13th this year.