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After a long weekend of nonstop rain and shark advisories, Monday brought some much-needed good news for L.A. beaches. Rare, tinywestern snowy plovers are nesting on L.A. County beaches for the first time in nearly 70 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Yes, they're as adorable as they sound—check out the video below for proof.)
L.A. Audubon Society and Bay Foundation volunteers discovered plover nests on Santa Monica and Dockweiler State Beaches this April; western plovers, which are roughly the size of sparrows, haven't nested in L.A. County since 1949. "This is a sign that, against all odds, western snowy plovers are making a comeback, and we really need the cooperation of beachgoers to help give them the space they need to nest and raise their young,'' senior Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Chris Dellith told the City News Service. In other words, be cool, beachgoers; don't scare our new feathered friends away.
And hey! We isolated the most adorable part of the video:
