#knowyourplover

#ShorebirdSunday Extra, extra, read all about it! Find the article I wrote in the current summer issue of @SANPark's @wildcardmagazine…in the mail for WildCard holders, & on stands at your local @Woolworths_SA or @My_Spar! Featuring photos by yours truly, @jeremaiheburrov, & @craigmidgleyphoto! A big thanks to Romi for offering me the opportunity to showcase these special birds & the conservation research addressing their decline, & thank you to Riaan for the fantastic infographic! Surreal to see in print, & alongside @natgeo on the rack...! #ShareTheShores #plover #plovers #shorebirds #waders #KnowYourPlover #ThinkBeachBirds #SANParks #WildCard #WildMag #wildmagazine #wildcardmagazine #naturemagazine #travelmagazine #conservationmagazine #conservation #ecology #research #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #sciencecommunication #scicomm #sciencewriting #coastalbirds #birds #birdsofsouthafrica #PhDLife #newsies #magazine (at Wild Card Magazine) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9gJANMAJZL/?igshid=1dkiddc7ua1qn

#WaderWednesday... Honestly, how are #waders / #shorebirds just SO cute & amazing?! I mean, just look at these Three-banded Plovers perched on a pipe! In the words of @jeremaiherburrov, "We don't deserve shorebirds!!" #plovers #KnowYourPlover #birds #birding #birdsofsouthafrica https://www.instagram.com/p/B76SY4_AkLu/?igshid=5ycs5ymyqhwo

Yayyy, it’s #PloverAppreciationDay!! Really…how can we NOT appreciate these incredible little birds?! Though they may be small & look just drab, sandy brown…they’re absolutely adorable, & even if subtle, far more beautiful than initially meets the eye! Knowing shorebird populations around the globe are in decline, & the important insight they can offer us about habitats they (& we) depend on, it’s critical to acknowledge & be aware of the issues they face, & how to reduce our impact! We can make mindful choices about our outdoor activities, that can make life a little easier for them…check out the many useful tips & great #plover & #shorebird info from around the world by exploring the #ShareTheShores, #KnowYourPlover, #LoveAPlover, #ThinkBeachBirds, & #PloverLover hashtags!! 1️⃣ A female White-fronted Plover shades her eggs from the heat of the summer sun…(📸: video still by Claudio Velasquez Rojas) 2️⃣ This nest next to a ball of discarded fishing line still haunts me, years later…a nightmare of danger for plovers, with their long toes & legs at risk of easily getting entangled! 3️⃣ A young plover chick “crouches” to hide in plain sight among washed up eel grass. 4️⃣ The understatedly beautiful wing plumage (feathers) of the White-fronted Plover…my favourite are the tertial “streamer” feathers, closest to the body! #plovers #shorebirds #waders #charadrius #charadriiformes #conservation #scicomm #coast #beach #breedingbirds #birdbanding #birdringing #camouflage #babybird #nest #wing #feathers #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #plasticpollution #marinedebris (DISCLAIMER: All capture, handling, ringing/banding, & other research conducted under the appropriate permits, & only by trained, experienced personnel!) (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFM-wsFADdd/?igshid=1c55bhrrf8f3u

A memory of Clover the Plover for #ShorebirdSunday, from when he had recently fledged back in 2017! ☘️🍀 Such a pretty little 'plove. 😻 He now sports a dark headstamp + eye spots, just like his dad...Remember to #KnowYourPlover, #ThinkBeachBirds, & #ShareTheShores when you're heading to the coast! #shorebirds #waders #plovers #charadrius #beach #birds #birding #birdtherapy #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography (at Lookout Beach Plettenberg Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBa_XnBgcCQ/?igshid=73hwct79plsb

On this weekend's edition of #ShorebirdSunday, a still from a little video I took of a female White-fronted Plover returning to their eggs after a disturbance trial during fieldwork…By approaching a nesting plover & recording how they respond, we're able to determine the best ways to protect their coastal breeding sites! This research has found that White-fronted Plovers leave their nest when people are ±28m/86ft away, & takes them over 5 minutes (during which A LOT can happen) to feel safe enough to go back. With shorebird breeding season starting in the Northern half of the world…please remember to be mindful of signage, regulations, keep your dogs on leads & walk near the water...#ThinkBeachBirds, & #ShareTheShores! #KnowYourPlover #waders #shorebirds #plovers #conservation #fieldwork #research #nest #beach #scicomm #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #gopro (at Plett, Sanctuary Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_dQQeKgsKa/?igshid=m5ymm7h61lvz

Where's there's a plover nest…there will (hopefully) be plover chicks! Kittlitz's Plover chick foraging along a salt pan. #shorebirds #waders #plover #KnowYourPlover #ShareTheShores #ThinkBeachBirds #coastalbirds #floof #floofage #cottonballontoothpicks #sofluffy #babybird #cute #charadrius #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdtherapy #birdsofsouthafrica #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #saltpans (at Kliphoek) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-U8KxCgSCQ/?igshid=s0pyren7uk4m

#KnowYourPlover Last but not least, visiting the other side of the world…Australia & New Zealand's plovers! 7⃣ Hooded Plover / Nyungar: dirl-dirl — Southern Australia & Tasmania 8⃣ Shore Plover / Māori te reo: tuturuatu — Chatham Islands 9⃣ Wrybill / Māori te reo: ngutuparore — coastal pockets of NZ N Island, central NZ S Island #PloverAppreciationDay #shorebirds #ploverlovers #ShareTheShores https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hjIPPgMEV/?igshid=lnyl95syhgbj

#KnowYourPlover Next, featuring a few local South African plover species… 4⃣ Kittlitz's Plover / Afrikaans: Geelborsstrandkiewiet ("golden-breasted plover") — most of sub-Saharan Africa 5⃣ Three-banded Plover / isiXhosa: Unokrekre — much of Southern Africa 6⃣ White-fronted Plover / isiXhosa: Unotelela — coasts & some inland areas of sub-Saharan Africa (…& my beloved study species!) #PloverAppreciationDay #shorebirds #ploverlovers #ShareTheShores (at Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hg4x7gM_c/?igshid=dnh2req2yxan