A rare and endangered species of bird has been spotted on a beach in Lancashire.
Photographer Pete Godfrey captured pictures and videos of ringed plover birds, as well as their adorable chicks, as they ambled across the sand and pebbles of Fleetwood Beach.
In one video he joked that the birds were on a ‘family day out’ at the beach, as the parent birds watched over their chicks as they raced across the sand.
However, these adorable birds are said to be of ‘conservation concern’ and are at risk of being lost forever.
Using standardised criteria, bird experts assessed 245 species with breeding, passage or wintering populations in the UK and assigned each to the red, amber or green lists of conservation concern
The ringed plovers are 'Birds of Conservation Concern four' on the UK red list for birds, which was last updated in 2021.
The birds are characterized by their orange bills with a black tip, and orange legs.
They are sandy-brown above and white below and has a black chest-band and black bridle markings on its head.
When it flies, it displays a broad, white wingbar, pale, creamy-brown legs, and a bright yellow ring around the eye.
It nests on bare gravel and sand at the coast and around flooded gravel pits and reservoirs.
The ringed plover tempts underground prey to the surface by 'foot-trembling': tapping its feet fast on the ground to mimic raindrops
The best time to see them is between January-December.
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