Black-bellied Plover
Looking through my long lens, I knew I had something special when I saw this bird foraging way out on a sandbar a few days ago.
Welcome to my bird lifer list, #206 Black-bellied Plover! They are the largest and heaviest of our North American plovers.
My crops are heavy but still good enough to ID thankfully.
Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Plovers are also the hardiest of the plovers, breeding farther north than others, all the way to the very top of the world.
Black-bellied Plover foraging
A widespread shorebird, the Black-bellied Plover is found on six continents.
I’m thinking, it’s about time I’ve photographed this beauty!
Photos by Donna 
Ah we call them Grey Plovers so I was a bit confused. In full breeding plumage they are quite stunning. When they winter on our coasts they are rather drab compared to the Golden Plovers.
Congrats on another lifer!
Thank you, Brian! Yes, I read many continents call them Grey Plovers, guess us North Americans had to be different, not sure why.
Because you’re North Americans! 🤣🤣🙄
😝 😉
Congrats Donna – another one in the bag! 😁
Thank you, Mike! Yay!! 💃💃💃
That’s not a bird many people get to see, or at least know it. Nice catch. Now you have me thinking and wondering when / where the last one I saw around here. 😀
Thank you, Ted! I wished it would have come closer to the shoreline, but I’m very happy with this sighting just the same! 🙂
How exciting!!!! Glad you saw one. Always excoting to see a bird you’ve
never seen before.
Thank you, Audrey, very exciting! 💃💃💃
Nice Donna! And congrats on adding to It your Bird list!!
Thank you very much, Reed!! 💃💃💃
Nice catch, Donna!
Thank you, Eliza!
Great eye spotting that one! They really blend in to their surroundings! So cool to see! Glad you were able to identify and add this one to your bird lifer list!
Thank you much, Carol! I was glad I could focus well enough so I could ID it! 💃💃💃
Congrats for another lifer Donna, Plovers are always a special capture as they usually are not easily found, unless it is in the warmer months and you are out in their specific habitat. I imagine it looks more colorful in breeding plumage which you would not begin to see until just before they migrate back to the Arctic. 🙂
Thank you, Ashley! They are not easy to find, I’ve only photographed one other plover to date (Semipalmated). I’ve seen online what they look like in full breeding plumage, they are gorgeous with striking contrasts. What’s amazing to me, is this bird I’m seeing now will head to the Artic, survive and breed. Miraculous! 🙂
I love these long legged shore birds 😊. Very nice, Donna!
Thank you, Belinda! Wish I had long legs like they do! hee hee 😊
For some time I was wrong about the ID on this plover because I saw the winter adult version which has no black feathers at all. It took me a while to get this right. Congratulations on your “lifer” # 206. 🙂
Thank you very much, HJ! 💃💃💃 With only the partial, blotchy black belly and white buff neck, I ID’d as a female. Is it possible to ID male/females coming out of winter and before full breeding plumage? 🙂 If not possible, I’ll take ‘female ID’ out of my post.
Male and female look the same. Winter is the non-breeding time (No black) or younger than 2 years.
Thanks HJ!
Wow, that is so exciting Donna. Congratulations!
Thank you very much!
Congratulaations, Donna,
on #206!
Thank you very much! 💃💃💃
Nice find! Congratulations on adding a new member to your list.:)
Thank you much, Jane! 💃💃💃
Excellent long shot of the plover in its habitat, Donna!
Thank you, Indira! I will confess, I took just over 100 photos, hoping I was able to be steady enough that some would be good, because I knew it was a new bird for me. 😊 (and many were not in focus….whew, glad I took a lot!)
Wow. Her markings remind me of birds of prey. And, I’d never heard of a Plover. Nice introduction.
I’m so dull. 🙄😑☺🙃😁😎
Thank you, Vic! Darn, I really should have mentioned in my recent Killdeer post, that a Killdeer is a plover species too. I bet you’ve also seen the Semipalmated Plover around the Outer Banks camping years ago. Lots and lots of them there! You just didn’t know it! 😉
Learning even more. I had no idea that a Killdeer was a Plover. I meant to ask you, earlier, why it was called a Killdeer.
Lord…I’ve been to Currituck County (Virginia Border), New Hanover County (Wilmington), Carteret County (Beaufort & Morehead), Onslow County (Jacksonville) and Pender County (Topsail) but, not Hyde (Ocracoke) or Dare Counties (Manteo). The part of the outer banks in Carteret don’t have roads, except for the Crystal Coast that faces due south. I’ve never been on NC12.
And, unfortunately, I’ve never been camping. I’d love to, tho…
Oh poo, I thought I remembered you telling me you camped years ago around the Outer Banks. Re the Killdeer’s name, one of their shrill calls sounds like they are saying kill-deer kill-deer. 🙂
Heh. No worries. You have a lot of followers and talk to a lot of people. Some of the data will blend after a while.
AH! That makes sense. Bob White’s say “Bob White.” LOL!