Whitefish Point, MI. August 2026.
I realized I never shared this cutie. I went to Whitefish Point just to find this bird and I was amazed I found it in five minutes. This was the only one too. They’re a protected species so I kept my distance getting these. There were a ton of logs to hide behind.
I love these little guys. Great shots!
Three different rings seems a bit of overkill of whoever is monitoring these.
Very nice photos though!
This page explains the color coding system.
On a large bird like a goose, it’s possible to have bands with 3-4 character codes that can be read from a long distance with a decent telephoto lens or spotting scope. The piping plover is a small bird, so multiple colored bands are the easiest way to have a unique pattern an observer can read.
Well, I didn’t expect that! Many thanks for the insight.
This individual featured in the Wikipedia page for piping plover also seems to have 3 rings but they don’t look as obtrusive as the ones in OP’s post somehow. Maybe it’s the size of the rings?
This individual was a juvenile. That’s probably why
Right, you’d think two would be enough. A unique ID number for when they die and one colored one to track by as sight. I know they don’t really affect the bird in a negative way, but three seems excessive for such a small bird.
i was up there this spring. got a look at the two adults. apparently there were three? babies, but they must have been hiding. like you i was surprised how easy it was to find them. glad you got to see one!
Awesome pics! I live on Martha’s Vineyard and can see these guys from a distance, but hard to get good pics without a real camera. We also go way out the way to accommodate these birds, closing beaches to osv’s etc.
