Legless shorebirds?
Well, not really. At Nickerson Beach yesterday, I noticed a lot of sanderlings and some semipalmated plovers hopping around one one leg. I found it rather disturbing until I spoke with a fellow birder later that day who told me that they do that because they get lazy and just stand and hop on one leg. I am new to observing shorebirds closely this year but I don't know how I missed seeing this on other trips to the beach! In any case, is there a scientific reason as to why they do this or are they simply lazy or giving their legs a break? I'm posting an image of a semipalmated plover getting ready to hop away from me in my car (this was taken in the parking lot at Nickerson where a lot of these and the sanderlings were roosting).
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