I turned around and saw something small and white scuttle across the sand. While I was distracted taking photos of gulls and pelicans, a flock of tiny snowy plovers had flown in behind me.

A few ran around while most curled up in the sand, which camouflaged them perfectly. There were about a dozen that I could see, and at least two had multiple bands on their legs.

On the walk back, I had to go around them; I kept my distance while paying close attention to where I stepped, and the birds remained in their spots. We walked on wet, compacted sand nearer the water for the remaining beach trek.

#birds #shorbs