A Snowy Day on the Oregon Coast

Written By Dan Dzurisin

I spent a day in March 2025 along the central Oregon coast with a group of Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) - a species threatened by habitat degradation and human disturbance. Beautiful weather, a photogenic setting, and charismatic subjects made for a memorable experience.

I arrived at the shore soon after the sandy tidal flats and adjacent dunes lit up in the morning sun. Abundant driftwood and scattered low vegetation in the area provided ideal habitat for Western Snowy Plovers, which nest in sand scrapes along the backshore - the zone immediately above the high tide line. I searched anxiously for evidence that the birds were around and soon found tracks in the sand that I recognized as belonging to Snowies from a previous visit. In less than an hour I came upon my first pair of the tiny birds in gorgeous light.

I spent the next few hours with a dozen or more Snowies while they scurried about on impossibly thin legs, doing what Snowies do on a beautiful spring day. Not until the sun was high in the sky and I was covered with sand from head to foot (It’s not easy getting to a plover’s eye level for photographs!) did I take a break from the action.

One of the birds in particular seemed intent on performing for the camera. While I listened and watched, it whistled its sweet tu-tweet and stretched gracefully, not just once but several times. I kept a respectful distance, collected my photographs, and bid a grateful adieu.

I returned in late afternoon, hoping to get some “magic hour” photographs while the sun sank toward the Pacific. I was rewarded not only with beautiful light, but also with a stiff breeze that freshened the air and lifted saltating sand grains to a height of nearly a foot. The Snowies seemed less excited than I was about the mobile sand, but they dealt with it adeptly by taking up stations into the wind, squinting, and waiting patiently for the gale to subside.

At long last it was time to leave, but not before capturing a parting photograph of one of these beautiful and resourceful birds. Until next we meet…

Dan Dzurisin
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