July 14: Snowy Plovering on Kehoe Beach

On July 14, 2019 Aiden and I were assigned to Kehoe Beach along with two other snowy plover docents, Will and Janelle. It was a foggy and cool day at the beach - perfect for dramatic photography and a welcome relief to travelers from hotter areas of the state such as Sacramento. We set up the exhibit table at the crest of the trail overlooking the beach. Throughout the day, we talked to 150 people about snowy plovers. Kehoe Beach has one of the few trails in Point Reyes that allows dogs on leashes and it’s a popular destination with locals. We were treated to a parade of cute dogs throughout the day.

We divided into pairs - one pair walked the beach while the other stayed at the exhibit table. On our beach walk, Aiden and I encountered 6 adult plovers flapping their wings and dive bombing each other in a territorial display in the protected area. It was an exciting contrast to watching nesting birds sitting quietly on their eggs.

My, what big eyes you have!

photo by Luke Seitz (source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology allaboutbirds.org website)

Notice how large their eyes are compared to other shorebirds like sanderlings. Sanderlings have smaller eyes and longer beaks. One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between sanderlings and plovers is that sanderlings chase waves in groups feeding whereas snowy plovers feed higher up on the beach typically alone.

Snowy Plover biology work at Point Reyes

Biologist Matt Lau’s photo showing the extraordinary camouflaging of plover chicks against the rocks and sand.

Check out snowy plover news on the Point Reyes National Seashore website. Biologist Matt Lau posts updates (and adorable snowy plover photos!) regularly.