Thin Ice

As I neared the end of the Barnegat Light rocks, they became more and more icy. I got down into a prone position and began crawling across the rocks so I wouldn't fall. Eventually, I found this Black-bellied Plover standing on an ice covered rock. Black-bellied Plovers are the largest plovers in North America. One of the wariest of all shorebirds, the Black-bellied Plover flushes easily, and because of this trait Black-bellied Plover populations remained strong during the peak years of shorebird hunting, when many other similar species were devastated.

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Barnegat Light, New Jersey

December 30, 2009