The American Golden Plover – Pluvialis dominica was showing well at Exminster Marsh yesterday morning and I managed to get some half decent shots. This bird must have a fascinating recent histrory. Normally they undertake a long, circular migration route. In the autumn they fly offshore from the East Coast of North America nonstop to South America. So this is potentially where our bird took the wrong turn. Perhaps it got caught in a strong Easterly wind and arrived here last autumn and was not discovered until now. On the return in the spring they would normally pass primarily through the middle of North America to reach the Arctic breeding grounds. Adult American Golden-Plovers leave their Arctic breeding grounds in early summer, but juveniles usually linger until late summer or fall. Some adults arrive on the wintering grounds in southern South America. Argentina, Chile etc. before the last juveniles have left the Arctic.
Our bird basically took the wrong route and ended up going East rather than North or South.

It was feeding very well and had a habit of running a foot os so and then down to feed and then up like a statue. Very similar to other plover species that I have ever seen.

There have been a few Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus “around” the marsh for a few weeks now and two were feeding quite close to the track. In fact in the vicinity of the Golden Plover. There was also a a Curlew nearby. I took this picture which compares Curlew – Numenius arquata and Whimbrel really well. It may be of real interest to you because they can be confused quite easily. Curlew on the left!