Semipalmated Plover, North America’s Chidori

1 Stump+Pass+12 20 013 — The Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) is a winter visitor here on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Many years ago when I was stationed in Japan I heard a koto musician play a piece called “Chidori,” which means plover in Japanese. The story behind this haunting music is of a Samurai walkinghis guardpost on a castle wall….at dawn he sees a lone plover on the shore and feels a kinship with the bird….sharing the beautiful dawn with the “chidori.” Having seen my share of dawns from guard posts in Asia, I have always remembered the music, the emotion and the memories…every time I see this shorebird.

The “chidori” is a cultural icon in Japan, it is found in traditional music, art, poetry andeven contemporary comics and on t-shirts.

Kanji+chidori — Beautiful Japanese calligraphy, “Chidori.” a Haiku poem “A plover on the shore No grasses, no trees his rainy night” – Yosa Buson (1716-1784)

Two+Plovers+Hiroshige — Here’s a famous woodblock print (nishiki-e) from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. “Two plovers, waves and a full moon,” by Utagawa Hiroshige I, from the Edo Period (late 1830’s). Utagawa Hiroshige

When nature becomes part of our lives and culture, we become a part of nature….no longer just observers.

Steven Scott

Steven Scott is a photonaturalist blogger based in Florida and Maine. He has surveyed butterflies with Earthwatch Institute in the mountains of Vietnam, tagged juvenile snook with Mote Marine Laboratory in the mangroves of Florida and filmed a BioBlitz insect survey in Acadia National Park. A registered nurse and retired Army officer, Steven believes man is an integral part of nature and travels annually to Vietnam with humanitarian medical teams from Vets With a Mission.