This Pacific golden plover is all dressed up with somewhere to go, and that somewhere is the Arctic. These birds overwinter in Hawaii, and elsewhere, before heading north to their summer nesting grounds. But before they go, they lose their usual pale front for this snappy look. Not quite top hat and tails, but awfully close.
Posted in response to Becky’s April Squares challenge theme of ‘Top.’ See more responses here.
Graham's Island 
Very dapper indeed. Beautiful.
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What a beautiful plover and one that would be a life bird for me. I love the top hat and tails analogy! Just dandy! 🙂
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The summer plumage is such a standout. I look for it every year.
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What a beauty . . . waders are so wonderful in their summer plummage
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or plumage even!
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It’s the bird that led humans to Hawaii, so the story goes. Polynesians saw it coming from the north each fall and heading back that way each spring and figured that this little bird must be headed to land in that direction.
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Fascinating. Would make sense. Birds are extraordinary travellers, and our human ancestors were much more in tune with nature Hd seasons than we are.
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Some plovers go all the way down to Australia and New Zealand. It’s a remarkable journey, mostly over open ocean, for such a small bird.
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I can never get my head around how far some waders travel every year. It as you say, remarkable
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Such a beautiful ‘jacket’ 🙂 🙂
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It’s a sharp looking bird at the best of times, but the summer plumage is something special.
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