“What are you looking at?” the little girl’s whisper surprised me. I was lying on the beach looking towards the dunes and no one else had seemed to notice me, even the little girl’s mother had wandered further along the beach before turning to check on her daughter.
Hooded Plover
Canon 7DII, 100-400L IS USM, 1/1000, f/8, ISO 200, focal length 400mm
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The Hooded Plover above is easy to see in this image but they are tiny shore birds measuring just 21cm and are difficult to see unless you’ve had practice looking for them as their disruptive camouflage is very effective. I was a fair distance from the bird and the little girl was unable to see it until it bobbed a little and took a short run across the sand.
Hooded Plover chicks
There are two ‘stashed’ Hooded Plover chicks in the image above; imagine trying to find them across hundreds of metres of sand dunes. Whenever I see hoodies I quietly thank the volunteers who protect the nests and hatchlings, and also the members of the public who keep their dogs on leashes and walk them on alternative beaches.
Hooded Plover chicks
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Hooded Plover chicks forage for themselves and instinctively hide by going to ground if anyone walks along the beach. While hiding like this they are less likely to be seen by the potential predator but they are also unable to forage or seek shelter. They stay like this for a long time even after the ‘threat’ has gone which can have serious consequences in extreme weather conditions, and can even cause starvation.
When I photograph hoodies I creep up slowly, sometimes using a hide and often grazing my knees and elbows. By carefully watching the birds I can make sure that I don’t disturb them. I observe how they behave when people go by – generally adult hoodies run away, occasionally they’ll take off – and what’s most fascinating is that virtually no one notices them. The chicks’ parents were strangely unbothered by the little girl, children like her are our hope for the future. It was a magical moment.
Happy birding, Kim
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I have some feedback. Can I send it privately? Ta! Nice blog!
Yes certainly, you can use kim@lirralirra.com I look forward to hearing from you, Kim
This post makes me giddy for you! What an honor to find not only an adult but the youngsters too! Okay I’m jealous too but still so fabulous to see!
It really is an honour Sherry, it’s great to be blessed by nature 🙂
Beautiful photos, Kim. A testament to how hard you work for the hoodies (thank you!). And I love the narrative – that little girl will never forget the hoodies!
I do one millionth of what you do Sue! From the way her eyes twinkled I’m sure you’re right.
Amazing Kim; can well imagine you laying in the sand taking these great photo’s while a small child would be very curious as to what is that lady doing. how unique
It was a lovely moment, birds and children, what could be better than that?
Nice post. Like the images of the chicks in particular – really gives a sense of how small and innocuous they are.
Thank you Craig, I’m glad the shots of the chicks worked the way I hoped they would.
Also thank you to the volunteers! It’s beautiful that there are lovely people in this world willing to stand on a cold beach to warn walkers away from their nests.
Well done and thank you!
Here here!
They are totally whack, very strange defence reactions! The little chicks are super cute
Very sensible really, there’s not much else they can do except hope to stay hidden. They really are super cute 🙂
remarkable shots kim! if these were taken while the dogs and i were waiting for you in the car i apologize for complaining!
You are totally forgiven, and I don’t blame you for grumbling, I know that time goes out of the window when I’m with the birds.
I hope you have started a life-long fascination for that small person. The little things are HUGE in my world (small things for small minds?) for which I am grateful.
Love the camoflague of those chicks too.
I hope so too EC, especially beautiful as she showed the initial interest, it was great to talk to her and see her eyes light up.
Wow amazing how hard they are to see, it’s really interesting to see a landscape shot that you would never imagine was hiding chicks! They are beautiful little birds and it is wonderful that you can share these magnificent little creatures with people who might otherwise never see them!
Thanks Alyssa. They would have been even harder to spot if I’d used a landscape lens, virtually impossible. Isn’t nature awesome!
they are so easy to miss. Nice work. Glad to see you using the 7DII, Ive almost got the hang of mine now, definitely shooting RAW is the way to go, I was considering going to jpegs but once i got used to the files I’m finding it easier to stay with RAW files. You are very keen crawling along the ground for your shots, Im afraid i may not be able to get up again if i do that 🙂
Julie
Hi Julie, what lens are you using with the 7DII? I have been known to get stuck in a bend!