Nature Notes: Killdeer Nesting on the Farm

Over the last couple weeks when I take Luna out for her walks on the property, I have been taking notice of all the birds I see. One species I have been thrilled to see is the Killdeer. I have always loved this little shore bird. It has an awesome call. Listen to a collection of their various calls here. They are also beautiful birds. Here are a couple photos I gleaned from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/id - a Cornell Ornithology Labs website.

Today while Luna and I were out we saw a pair of killdeer in the field. One took off as soon as it saw us, calling loudly. The other ran along the ground away from the area that the two had been standing. I wavered for  a bit about whether or not I should approach the area to see if there was a nest. Then the one near me on the ground started doing the broken wing display and I was convinced there must be a nest nearby. If you aren't familiar with it, the broken wing display is meant to distract any prey away from a nest and lead the predator to believe that the bird is injured and easy prey. So the predator chases the 'injured' bird, leaving the nest alone and then the 'injured' bird takes off and leave the predator hungry.

I briefly looked around for the nest and decided to let it be. Since I am out here almost every day, I will eventually see the nest or babies. I am just so happy to have them here.