This plover breeds in the high arctic, winters in South America, and does not normally migrate anywhere near the southern Appalachians .

In Park: There is a single record of two birds on highway 441 on October 29, 1953 (Stupka 1963). Both birds appeared to have been brought to ground by an early winter storm, along with several other shorebirds and ducks, and both eventually died.

References:

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park . University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.