Chirps and Cheeps

A quick check of the Outer Harbor this afternoon brought the happy sighting of a couple of American Golden-Plovers still mostly in breeding plumage.  We don't see this species too often here in Western New York so this was a real treat!

I always struggle telling them from Black-bellied Plovers but this time, it was easier.  Their golden speckles on their backs, their petite bills and trim profiles - added together with their pale "arm pits" when one flapped its wings made for an easy ID.

The two birds stuck pretty close together, mixing in with the Killdeer and Semipalmated Plovers at times.  At one point, they both took a bath in a mud puddle then left.  They flew off high and far and I thought they had gone for good.  I learned later that they must have returned and a couple of other birders got to see them.

Here are a few photos of these beautiful birds...