Breeding semipalmated plovers have orange legs, a single breast band, dark upperside and white underside.

Small shorebirds or peeps are about the size of a sparrow at six to eight inches. Peeps are usually sandpipers, but we have small plovers too. Sandpipers have thin pointed bills that they use to repeatedly probe for prey as they walk. Plovers, on the hand, forage by running short distances and using their short stubby bills to pick prey off the surface. In addition, plovers have a neck band.

Small plovers are certain to be seen on our ocean beaches. The smallest of them is the western snowy plover. It can be described as an inconspicuous, pale, puffball. It nests in the protected area of the peninsula close to the tip. It prefers the outer section of the beach and the site designated as the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR) habitat restoration area. Restoration of the area has been a necessary intervention for this threatened species. It is designed to help ensure the survival of the western snowy plover.

The western snowy plover is the smallest as well as the palest plover in North America. The male has a black ear patch, forehead, and partial neck band. The female looks the same, but the areas are brown. The bill is stubby and short. Its legs vary from pinkish to grayish in color.

I usually see snowies running and stopping along the beach away from the water line and usually alone. They prefer the upper, drier sandy areas. I have also seen two of three relatively close to one another. I have sighted them almost everywhere on our ocean beaches, but I see them most often at the northern end of the peninsula around the Ocean Park beach approach.

Another of the small plovers is the semipalmated plover. It is common on our ocean beaches and is often seen with other flocks of shorebirds. It is just a smidgen larger than the western snowy plover. Look for the colour of its legs! Adult breeding birds have orange legs, while non-breeding birds have yellowish legs. Its short and stubby bill is black with an orangey colored base. It is dark on the upper side but has a white underside and sports a single black breast band.

The behavior of the semipalmated plover is like the snowy plover in terms of its feeding habits and its food preferences. Both plovers prefer beetles, flies, worms, spiders, and beach fly larvae. Both forage in typical plover style: run, stop, and pick or pluck.

Winter is an especially good time to look for semipalmated plovers on the beach because they often gather in large flocks to rest. They can be found anywhere on the ocean beaches. When walking on the beach keep your eyes open for them. Look carefully at all shorebird gatherings now because there might be a semipalmated plover or two or more in the crowd.

The western snowy plover and the semipalmated plover are star actors on the beach. As they forage, they run in short bursts, scan visually, stop pick for prey and begin running again until they find another tasty morsel. They are bundles of energy. Watch for the run, pause, and pluck by these delightful little shorebirds. They have been exciting stars of many of the trips I have made to the beach! Happy birding!