250th bird and injured PGP

I have been sitting on 249 species for a while now and with no trips planned I have been trying to find a new bird locally to reach this goal. A couple of Double-banded Plovers have been visiting Stockton Sandspit for a couple of months and it has taken almost as long for me to finally see one of them.

Also on the sandspit this morning were the resident 'over winter' Pacific Golden Plovers. Today I saw the injured male's dodgy leg. Usually he has it tucked up in his plumage but not this morning. His leg looks like a permanent disability unfortunately, but he's still eating, mobile and looking healthy. The injured right leg angles across his left leg and looks terrible when he hops around.

Many Red-capped Plovers roosting today as well. The late breeding season youngster has grown up but still seems to not want to leave its dad. The youngster constantly tried to get under dad's wing, which he sometimes allowed, and other times the dad would run away to avoid interacting with his offspring. Maybe he allows his kid to snuggle in for extra warmth because it was freezing this morning :)