Semipalmated Plover

Can you spot the nest with eggs?  Click on image to enlarge

Good evening once again!

Late this afternoon I decided to check out the ducks and sandpipers at a nearby marsh (Pelly Crossing, Yukon).  I was delighted to spot a pair of semipalmated plovers scurrying about on the gravel road.   Their broken wing tactic lead me to believe that a nest was close by.

After a careful search of the area I discovered their nest with three brownish-olive eggs marked with dark spots.  The simple nest consisted of a small depression in the pebbles and was lined with nothing but a few blades of dried grass and shrivelled leaves woven together (no down to act as insulation).  It was well concealed under the branches of a small shrub.

While trying to compose my shots both plovers went about their business feeding, preening and trying to lure me away from their nest by pretending to be injured.  

I'll return in the coming days to capture more images and to record their progress.

Neat little critters!

Good night!