My son and I were taking his two dogs for a walk Sunday afternoon. While we were on a well-used, main thoroughfare (2 lanes on each side), across from the hospital where I work, and a few hundred yards from a busy freeway, a couple of birds came out from "nowhere." They ran out to the center of the street, and started flip-flopping. I then realized that this is something killdeer do to lure one away from their nest. I was dumb-founded to say the least, and I didn't have my camera out and ready. But I made sure I had my camera ready when returning from our walk. I found the birds darting back and forth in a cul-de-sac off the main street from where I had seen them previously. At least they didn't do their flip-flopping this time. I will assume it was a mama and papa. Anyway, after trying several times to get a decent picture of one of the adults, I then saw a little "peep." Oh, he was so cute! He looked like a miniature version of his parents, of course. And trying to get a picture of him/her was even more difficult than its parents.
What surprised me most was that there was only one offspring - or at least that is all that I saw. I am curious to see if this should happen again the next time I go walking in that direction. I wonder if I could find the nest. Would killdeer make their nest in a garden of flowers and hedges up against a building? Or would they build their nest on an empty plot of ground that is located just across from this building?
3 comments:
Mary, that baby made me laugh out loud! Gangly, awkward thing!
Killdeer are strange in behavior and I hear they will nest is the strangest places - anywhere, really!
Good photo!
I really like your pictures. The kildeer nest in the field at the end of our street (in the city) had 4 eggs, and all were destroyed. A nest on the ground has to be vulnerable for sure!
Ruth
I love watching these birds and they're so vocal when they're protecting their offspring! They nest in an open field next to work. Great shots you got!
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