Few sights on a coastal beach are as quietly extraordinary as a newly hatched piping plover chick. No larger than a cotton ball, these fragile shorebirds emerge into a world of wind, waves, and constant danger—yet they are perfectly adapted for it. Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are small, pale shorebirds that inhabit open beaches, sandy dunes, and coastal flats across … [Read more...] about Newly Hatched Piping Plovers: Tiny Lives on the Edge of the Shore