Larry's Gallery:   Hooded Plover (2/5)

CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae

Thinornis rubricollis  

I was striding quickly across the beach from the surf side towards the dunes and saw a Hooded Plover someway off running parallel to me. As I continued I became aware of a second Hooded Plover (no doubt its mate) but this one was running straight at me.

I turned to watch as this bird suddenly stopped and threw itself down on the sand waving its wings around not a great distance from me. It made me think of decoy duck behaviour. Perhaps this bird was trying to draw my attention away from chicks or eggs elsewhere on the beach.

This however was not the case because it had actually flopped down onto its eggs which it must have thought were under threat from me. And would have been if I had been walking a slightly different course because I certainly hadn't noticed them.

After a short while it relaxed enough to wander off looking for food leaving the eggs totally exposed in a shallow depression in the sand.