Rondeau Ric

We haven't seen an American golden-plover in many years. Black-bellied plovers are common along the south beach of the park during migration. We were out on the pontoon boat on Sept 29 and spotted a golden and a black-bellied on a weed mat in Rondeau Bay. Gives a nice size comparison. American golden-plover - Pluvialis dominica In the 19th and 20th centuries, colloquial names for the American Golden-Plover included bullhead, field plover, greenback, muddy-belly, and prairie pigeon. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola The Black-bellied Plover is the only American plover that has a hind toe on its foot—although the toe is so small it’s hard to see in the field.

Black bellied plover, Sept 30, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park. Non-breeding plumage. One of the few species of shorebirds we saw that day. Pluvialis squatarola Wary and quick to give alarm calls, the Black-bellied Plover functions worldwide as a sentinel for mixed groups of shorebirds. These qualities allowed it to resist market hunters, and it remained common when populations of other species of similar size were devastated. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Plover/

Another of the shore birds we saw at Rondeau while out on the boat. South beach near Erieau. Pluvialis squatarola Wary and quick to give alarm calls, the Black-bellied Plover functions worldwide as a sentinel for mixed groups of shorebirds. These qualities allowed it to resist market hunters, and it remained common when populations of other species of similar size were devastated. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology