The semipalmated Plover is a small bird somewhat resembling a Killdeer. Eating insects, worms and crustaceans, these birds seach for food along beaches and on tidal flats. These photos were made near Beaufort Inlet in late June, 2010.
The Least Tern is the smallest of the terns found along North Carolina’s coast. A migratory bird, the Least Tern spends its winters in Central America and the Carribean. In the spring they return to coastal areas of North America to reproduce. With a population of about 21,500 pairs this little bird isn’t listed as “threatened” or endangered,” though in some of the states where it breeds it is consedered a “threatened” species. They are vunerable to predators and high tides along the U.S. East Coast. Of course human disturbance of nesting areas can also be a problem. Be mindful of restricted areas on local beaches that are marked to protect shorebird nesting areas. A fast and shy little bird, I found these guys quite challenging to photograph. Patience and a slow, low approach seems to work best.
The Ruddy Turnstone, once included in the Plover family, is a migratory member of the sandpiper family. Like many of our migratory shorebird visitors the Ruddy Turnstone breeds in tundra areas during the summer. Over winter and during migration they can be found along coastal areas, preferring mudflats they can alos be found along rocky shorelines and sandy beaches. They will eat about anything they can find under rocks… hence their name based on feeding behavior, “turn stone.”
A large North American shorebird, the Greater Yellow Legs is similar in appearence to the slightly smaller Lesser Yellowlegs. Adults have long, yellow legs (hence their name) and sport long dark bills that are slightly upcurved. The bill tends to be about 1 1/2 the length of the head with a lighter color near the base. In contrast the Lesser’s bill tends to be equal in length to the head and lacks the up turn and lighter colored base.
The Greater Yellowlegs is a migratory bird that travels south to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States and South America. The bogs and marshes of Alaska and Canada’s boreal forest region are its breeding habitats. The female builds a ground nest where she lays three to four off-white eggs with brown markings. Both the male and female tends the eggs which take twenty-three to twenty-four days to incubate. The couple also shares feeding duties for the young.
The photos below were taken along the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve on an early spring afternoon. The birds were feeding in the shallow waters along the shore.
