I went to Jones Beach (NY) following a tip that a good number of Red Knots -- a red shorebird that specializes in eating horseshoe crab eggs -- were present. No Knots were seen.
I guess they were all tied up for the day...
Ahem
Anyway, I still had a great time with the fauna, including these tiny Piping Plovers that came remarkably close.
As for these Plovers, according to eBird they are considered endangered, "with a global breeding population of just 8,400 individuals [...] Population declines are due to direct and unintentional harassment by people, dogs, and vehicles; destruction of beach habitat for development; predation; and changes in water levels that affect availability of nesting habitat."