Spring time is migration season and San Diego is prime stop for birds heading North to Alaska and Canada for the Summer feeding season. As opposed to local birds that show up individually or in small groups, migrating birds show up in amazing numbers. These plovers were in a flock of probably 100+ birds and were absolutely mesmerizing to watch. They would all run rapidly in unison, following the water as a wave receded and then dashing up the beach when a new wave came in. They did all this while keeping an eye out for stray persons, the odd photographer or two and passing hawks.
In fact, a hawk did fly by looking for a quick meal (silly me forgot to snap the picture of the hawk...). It was slowly riding the air currents above the ocean edge, hovering hungrily over this admittedly huge flock of plovers when they spotted it (actually before I spotted it) and exploded into a mass of wings zig zagging in amazing unison over the ocean. It reminded me of the pictures of huge schools of fish that all, amazingly, turn in unison. How they do that without careening head first into one another eludes me. However, if people ever figure it out, driving to work will sure be a heck of a lot safer.
Happy Monday.
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