Piping Plover at Huguenot Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL - 11-4-14

Maybe all shorebirds are my favorites, but Piping Plovers are certainly towards the top of the list too! There were at least two banded birds at Huguenot and I was able to get pictures of the bands. I'm going to contact the USFWS and I'll let you know once I confirm where these birds were banded along with their ages. Here is a website I found for finding out information on banded Piping Plovers: http://www.fws.gov/charleston/Piping_Plover.html

Unbanded Piping Plover

Another banded Piping Plover. This one is an adult with a blue flag on its upper right leg and five other bands of various colors! This adult bird was most likely banded on the Northern Great Plains in the United States in either the Lower or Central Platte River

Banded Piping Plover (see pic below for banding information)

Hatch Year Banded Piping Plover - the black flag on its right leg is labeled "J5" this bird was most likely banded in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) Canada, Saskatchewan!

Semipalmated Plover - Similar to the Piping, but with significant differences including being much darker