Birds of the Massachusetts Coast

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"Three’s a Crowd!" -- In the weeks before settling down to nest, Piping Plovers seek to establish and defend a territory (up to perhaps 50 square yards) against other pairs in the vicinity. This often involves direct confrontation, as we see here. In a less photogenic sequence that I captured, a plover physically forces his antagonist onto his back.
Copyright © 2009 John Van de Graaff

"Three’s a Crowd!" -- In the weeks before settling down to nest, Piping Plovers seek to establish and defend a territory (up to perhaps 50 square yards) against other pairs in the vicinity. This often involves direct confrontation, as we see here. In a less photogenic sequence that I captured, a plover physically forces his antagonist onto his back.

Bird Photographs by John Van de Graaff