At the time, Lasay was working as a volunteer to help monitor Piping Plovers, an endangered species of small grayish, brown shorebirds and bright yellow legs he was driving through when he thought he saw a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye. When he took a closer look, he realized he had spotted something truly special. Elated at the prospect of seeing such a rare bird in his home state, he began dialing up fellow birders, including a biologist with the US. Fish and Wildlife Service