Yay Mom! Apparently it’s something exciting called Christmas…

“ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING“: CUTE PLOVERS FOR CHRISTMAS…

A Gorgeous Gallery of Ringed / Tagged PIPL by Danny Sauvageau

The numbers, positions, colours and numbering of the rings and tags pinpoints the precise origins of each bird. Note that some birds are ringed both above and below the ‘knee’. These markers have no effect on the daily lives of the birds, but are massively helpful in migration research. Danny’s photos are taken at ‘resting points’ in Florida where the birds pause as they migrate south for winter, many to Abaco and other Bahamas islands. Some birds shown below come from Canada, others from along the Eastern Seaboard of North America.   

One Piper Piping…

Jerome Fischer / Xeno Canto

A Piper from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ

This New Jersey conservation organisation is very closely involved with research into PIPL migration to their winter grounds. Two scientists, Todd Pover and Stephanie Egger, recently made their annual visit to Abaco to count the plovers and check for ID markers. At one remote location they found an amazing 88 birds. However, by the time they got to Delphi, the four Pipers that had been playing on the beach for a couple of weeks had moved off, unsettled by windy conditions. 

An unringed Piper taken recently by Charmaine Albury on Man-o-War Cay

The Epitome of Cute

AND ONE EXTRA FOR LUCK!

Eco-friendly PIPL plush ‘stuffies’ from the fabulous UNREAL BIRDS. Check out their other species – the American Oystercatcher is irresistible. NB 20% of every sale goes to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (see link above).

Credits: Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ / ‘BirdsbyKim’; Danny Sauvageau; Char Albury; Unreal Birds; Cute chick from FB, unattributed – thanks, photographer!