Bird field guide · Plovers and Lapwings

Photographing the Kentish Plover

How to photograph the Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus): the right lens for its size, shutter speeds for perched and moving animals, and when it's most often seen (October).

15–35 cm1/2500–1/4000 s

15–35 cm

Typical length (family range)

1/1000 s

Shutter: perched / still

1/2500–1/4000 s

Shutter: action / flight

f/7.1–f/8

Aperture

Recommended camera settings#

ModeManual + Auto ISOLock shutter & aperture, let ISO float

Shutter (still)1/1000 s

Shutter (action)1/2500–1/4000 s

Aperturef/7.1–f/8

FocusAF-C + subject/eye detectionBright sand and surf fool meters — dial in exposure manually or with auto-ISO and compensation.

DriveHigh-speed burst

Lens300–500 mmFull-frame equivalent

Focal length needed to frame it#

For a subject about 25 cm long filling a third or half of the frame width horizontally.

Distance	⅓ of frame (FF)	½ of frame (FF)	⅓ of frame (APS-C)	⅓ of frame (MFT)
5 m (16 ft)	227 mm	336 mm	151 mm	113 mm
10 m (33 ft)	454 mm	672 mm	302 mm	227 mm
15 m (49 ft)	680 mm	1,007 mm	454 mm	340 mm
20 m (66 ft)	907 mm	1,343 mm	605 mm	454 mm
30 m (98 ft)	1,361 mm	2,015 mm	907 mm	680 mm
50 m (164 ft)	2,268 mm	3,358 mm	1,512 mm	1,134 mm

When to find it#

Share of iNaturalist observations by month across North America. Peak months: October.

About the Kentish Plover#

The Kentish plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) is a small wader (40–44 g (1.4–1.6 oz)) of the family Charadriidae that breeds on the shores of saline lakes, lagoons, and coasts, populating sand dunes, marshes, semi-arid desert, and tundra. Both male and female birds have pale plumages with a white underside, grey/brown back, dark legs and a dark bill; however, additionally the male birds also exhibit very dark incomplete breast bands, and dark markings either side of their head, therefore the...

Summary adapted from Wikipedia via iNaturalist (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Field-craft tips#

Lie on the beach (respect closures) for intimate eye-level views.
Bright sand and surf fool meters — dial in exposure manually or with auto-ISO and compensation.
Sightings peak in October, which is when you'll have the most chances.

Ethics#

The welfare of the animal comes first: if it changes its behaviour because of you, you are too close.
Stay on trails, respect closures around nests, leks, dens and haul-outs.
Avoid playback and baiting in sensitive seasons; never bait predators.
Don't share precise locations of rare, nesting or roosting animals publicly.