Almost done?

It was the last day of our Cape Cod vacation. Before we hit the road we took one last walk down to West Dennis beach. Because of the seawall we had a nice low bird's eye level view of this piping plover. I was able to rest the camera on the wall to steady the lens. I got a handful of photos of the plover making trips from the nest down to the water’s edge for food.

The news is not good for this little plover. It was recently listed as an orange alert “tipping point" species.” That means that the population has declined by over 50% in the last 50 years. If you’ve been to a beach on the east coast this summer, you have probably seen the enclosures that local conservation communities have built to protect the nesting sites. This effort cuts both ways—the nest is protected by a wire cage, but at the same time this makes it very easy for predators to find the nest. With a breeding population of only 8400, this effort needs all the help it can get. Let’s do what we can to safeguard these nesting sites and spread the word of the challenges this plover is facing.

Here in snowy Vermont, that morning seems a long time ago. I’ve finally nearly finished the piece. My hope is that in some small way this painting documents this bird’s survival and may prompt a greater awareness and appreciation of what may disappear in our lifetime.

West Dennis piping plover | 10x20" | acrylic on cradled birch panel.