My apology to Ocean Beach’s sanderlings
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Thank you to the kind readers who reached out to correct me after I gleefully posted a gif earlier this week of what I misidentified as a flock of snowy plovers at Ocean Beach.
- I spent my time cross-referencing pictures and feather colors, but I should've reached out to the city's avid birding community to make sure. Bird-watchers: I will never fail you again.
What they're saying: "Snowy plovers are extremely small and hang out further away from the shoreline," reader Todd C. wrote. "I live at Ocean Beach and have yet to see a snowy plover there!"
By the fourth email I was eating crow, so I reached out to my birding friend Amy Gilgan to set the record straight.
- Gilgan — who shared plover photos for this story — volunteers with Bird Curious, a field trip series for new birders run by the Golden Gate Bird Alliance.
- This is someone I've watched run out of our dance class at Dolores Park to photograph the park's resident hawk, so I knew I was in good hands.
- Amy confirmed the birds in the gif were actually sanderlings.
Much appreciation goes to Amy and all of the twitchers who read our newsletter every morning. And to the misidentified sanderlings, I'm very sorry.
🤍 But as Amy told me, "the sanderlings forgive you."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Amy Gilgan is a volunteer with Bird Curious.