Today's Bird: The American Golden Plover

Today's bird is the American Golden Plover!  If you've ever seen or read The Big Year, Jack Black's character identifies it as his favorite bird.  When his father asks why (noting that it's just small and gray), he explains the migration route: from the Arctic Circle to Argentina and back in a single year.  On their long journey, they stop on beaches in Central America and Texas and in fields in the central United States.  I was lucky enough to catch this guy on the South Padre Island Bay on April 6, 2012.  Hope he's having a safe trip to Canada.