Pacific Golden-Plover
| Pluvialis fulva | Order: Charadriiformes | Family: Charadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings) |
For a decade, I used a cow photo instead of the obvious picture of a Pacific Golden-Plover because I didn’t have a photo of the bird yet! But also, the only way I added the species during my 2013 Conservation Big Year was thanks one particular cow. I was at the Point Reyes National Seashore searching a particular area where Pacific Golden-Plovers had recently been seen. One guy stuck around all day, and left about 3 pm. I decided to walk along the road a bit, and the cow made eye contact. As I walked toward her, she lumbered up to the fence and seemed to want her forehead scratched. As I obliged, a couple of Pacific Golden-Plovers flew over, calling.
I did get photographable looks in 2022 in Alaska, and of wintering birds in Hawaii in 2024.