While staying at Galveston Beach State Park on the way home, we walked the beach several times seeing hundreds of shorebirds — mostly peeps — but a number of Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, and Laughing Gulls as well.  Here are some of the peeps that I saw one evening.

Sanderlings are fun to watch as they run back and forth with the waves.

Who’s the guy in the mirror?

A banded Piping Plover — did not see the bands until processing the photo.

A Willet and Sanderling for comparison.

These tiny shorebirds, often in big skittish flocks, are a joy to watch, especially when you know that you won’t see them again until this summer in New England.