This is Birdnough.

You might not think there would be birds raising their young on a popular beach.

But many beaches are home to shorebirds such as piping plovers.

Tiny birds it often blend right in with the sand as they run around looking for food.

These plovers hide their nesting plain sight by scraping a shallow ditch just above the

high tide mark.

After hatching, their chicks are soon able to walk on their own, looking like tiny puff

balls on two twiggy legs.

On big sandy beaches, other birds such as least turns could be nesting there too.

Looking like squeaky toys, least turns dive in the surf, catching small fish.

This week is Clean Beach Week.

Keeping litter off the shore helps make sure that birds don't pick up plastic and other waste

and try to feed it to their young.

Staying out of dunes and marked off areas where birds are known to nest ensures that people

can share the beach with birds in their young for years to come.

To learn how you can do your part for Clean Beach Week, visit birdnote.org.

I'm Michael Stein.