Piping Plover: York County, Maine, USA — Okay, I guess it needs to be said again. You should never get as close as it looks like I might be from this photo to an endangered Piping Plover. I was not actually anywhere near that close. It is a long lens and a cropped photo that makes it look that way…and I did not approach the birds…they worked their way closer to me as I stood still. They are reclaiming territories on popular tourist beaches this year, and we want them to succeed. If you visit you will see them working between their posted nesting areas up against the dunes and the tide-line. It is what they do. Enjoy them, but give them their space. This bird is clearly aware than I am there…and I backed away and left soon after this was taken. He evidently wanted to explore the section of beach I was standing on, and I let him. 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my evolving birds modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 320 @ f6.3 @ 1/3200th.