On May 27th there were 3 Snowy Plover Eggs were present in the nest. On the morning of May 28th, only 1 egg was to found in the nest. 2 Snowy Plovers hatched overnight or earlier in the morning on May 28th prior to our arrival at the nest.
7:07am - Walking to 1st photo spot
I photographed a Wilson’s Plover carrying part of an eggshell while enroute to my first photo spot. (I did not see the eggshell until after I got home to review my photos) The eggshell looks to me like it was a Snowy Plover eggshell piece from and egg that had recently hatched. It may have been an eggshell from one of the 2 Snowy Plovers that hatched overnight.
7:17am - Least Tern nesting area
Least Terns were feeding and watching their babies
Other Least Terns were sitting on eggs
7:37am - Black Skimmer Colony
A colony of Black Skimmers was also present. Many of the skimmers were preening on the ground, with some flying and running around with fish.
8:13am - Snowy Plover Nest
Moved on to the Snowy Plover nest where a single egg was located... Approached low and slow as to not disturb nearby wildlife.
8:18am - The snowy plover mother joins the father 30-40 feet away for a quick break from the nest, watching the two hatched babies.
Luckily the egg blends in with the sand and the nest was well located.
8:34am - Mom starts acting odd and making calls while on the nest. She appeared to twitch a few times and I thought maybe she was warming up the egg.
8:39am - Mom leaves the nest again to watch over the two babies with Dad.
8:42am - The Egg starts to Hatch
A small hole started on the backside of the egg at first... then more cracks started to show on top of the egg
8:48am - The baby has made a major crack towards the middle of the egg.
8:54am - The baby finally pushes through and breaks the egg open, falling forward.
9:02am - Mom comes back to the nest to see that her baby has hatched.
She begins to sit on the nest with her newborn chick.
9:20am Mom starts removing egg shell pieces and takes them away from the nest.
9:23am - The newborn Snowy Plover takes its first steps
9:42am - Mom walks off and calls to the baby, trying to get it to come to her. The newborn looks at Mom.
9:46am - The newborn baby attempts to walk towards mom but falls and can’t make it yet. She tries a few times to motivate the baby to walk towards her with no luck. 
9:48am - The newest hatchling and one of its older siblings both seek shelter under Mom.
9:54am - Mom leaves again to try and get the newborn to walk towards her. The baby makes some progress, and makes it a couple feet to the next patch of grass before taking a rest. 
9:55am - Mom is back, and leaves again. No progress
10:00am - Baby takes shelter under Mom again.
10:08am - Baby follows mom to a small patch of grass much farther away. Mom covers baby again for a minute before walking off again.
10:09am - Baby moves to a larger patch of grass a foot or two away from where it was.
10:12am - Mom comforts baby again.
10:14am - Mom leaves again. The newborn baby starts walking towards Mom and makes it over a long distance.
10:17am - The newborn meets its two siblings and Dad for the first time. 
10:24am - The newborn Snowy Plover is walking faster, and much longer distances.
What an incredible day out on the beach with friends and memories that will not be forgotten. Watching a Snowy Plover from Egg, to hatching, to the first steps, and running around within 90 minutes of being born was quite an amazing experience. I am currently working on a video compilation including the Snowy Plover hatching, its first steps, and more.
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Explore South Florida’s Majestic Kites: Swallow-tailed, Snail, and White-tailed Kites
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Justin Damiano
August 31, 2024
Great pics! Thx for sharing these memories!