[Tweeters] Semipalmated Plover Behavior

[Marv Breece]

Speaking of gulls foot-paddling, here's a Ring-billed Gull at Potholes State Park in Grant Co on 10.11.18. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/138163614@N02/50827800018/in/datetaken/ 


Marv Breece 
Tukwila, WA 
marvbreece at q.com 


From: "Bob Sundstrom" <ixoreus at scattercreek.com> 
To: "Dennis Paulson" <dennispaulson at comcast.net> 
Cc: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>, "Greg Harrington" <gregtheteacher at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2021 5:32:28 PM 
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Semipalmated Plover Behavior 

Somewhat analogous is foot-paddling in smaller gulls, which I watched last winter on the Tofino tide flats. 
[ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.birdwatchingdaily.com/beginners/birding-faq/julie-craves-gull-foot-paddling/amp/ | https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.birdwatchingdaily.com/beginners/birding-faq/julie-craves-gull-foot-paddling/amp/ ] 

Bob Sundstrom 

Sent from my iPhone 



On Jan 10, 2021, at 3:56 PM, Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net> wrote: 





BQ_BEGIN

Quite a few species of plovers use this “foot-quivering” behavior, and it is presumed to stimulate their small prey animals to move, so they can detect them. 

Dennis Paulson 
Seattle 


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On Jan 10, 2021, at 3:21 PM, Steven Dammer < [ mailto:dammerecologist1990 at gmail.com | dammerecologist1990 at gmail.com ] > wrote: 

Funny enough I noticed this behavior too and assumed the same! I wasn't able to dig up any info either. I assumed it had to be their way of agitating small inverts to either come closer to the surface or locate them 

On Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 14:12 Greg Harrington < [ mailto:gregtheteacher at gmail.com | gregtheteacher at gmail.com ] > wrote: 

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Greetings! 

About a month ago I was out at the coast watching some Semipalmated Plovers feeding in the tidal zone. It was really cold and I noticed one bird’s leg shaking — and being rather cold myself I assumed at first it was shivering. Looking over at another one I saw it doing the same thing — and I wondered at that point if it was shaking its leg a part of a probing/feeding behavior. I have not really found any info about this, but it makes sense since their bills are too short to probe the mud it makes sense to me that they’d have an alternative means for sensing or finding snacks. 

If anyone has any insights or has seen similar behavior I’d enjoy hearing more. 

In terms of an early Spring — I have a coneflower plant that is putting out a bloom which is astonishing since it is about 5 months too early! 

Happy Birding, 
Greg Harrington 
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