Snowy Plovers

Snowy plovers often flock in numbers on some of the beaches near Santa Barbara. Sometimes it's hard to believe they are endangered.  But they literally build their nests on sand: they rely on camoflage, and rapid and prolific reproduction, to protect their young from predators.  Seagulls, skunks, and racoons all enjoy a snack of plover chicks, and beachgoing humans and their dogs carelessly destroy their nests too.