Dunlins

Dunlins are interesting little birds. I recently had a chance to take a good look at them at Jones Beach. They are compact, energetic, and pushy. And I like their long downcurved bills:


It was in the middle of April, and the birds had just started to molt into their breeding plumage. Here a few birds are already showing the darker spots on their bellies:


They aggregated in huge numbers all along the water's edge:


When they fly, the entire hundred-strong flocks take off at once: