This is the male of a pair of piping plovers that successfully raised four chicks this year. Once the chicks got fairly strong the parents would rest from time to time when the chicks fed at water's edge, always keeping them within eye site tho. This beach slopes steeply and the background is the Long Island Sound.
Grace, I love that you took the time to tell us about the family. Great looking background and the sharp details and shells make this special. Agree w/ a little off the top.
Thanks, Denise. Ideally, the images would tell the story, but when posting one at a time, just wanted to share a bit about this pair. I totally admired their parenting skills. The on-site biologist and I mused that this may not have been their first breeding season as they were so skilled.
I like the wide crop and composition, it underlines the little bird/big world mood, angle BG and sharpness look good, too. Great that they got all the chicks through.