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Piping plover (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 weeks ago by to c/birding@lemmy.world
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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.

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[–] 6 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Three different rings seems a bit of overkill of whoever is monitoring these.

Very nice photos though!

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 2 weeks ago

    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.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    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.

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