Killdeer Week

I saw this pair of killdeer in our hay field.  I couldn't get close to them as they outran me until they eventually took flight.  Then visiting a friend, we spotted a pair of killdeer in the middle of his gravel drive.  When I got closer to film one of them, it stood its ground and warned me to go away.  As I circled the bird, it turned to face me and chew me out.  There were no eggs to be seen and I wonder if it was defending a nest site it had picked out or just plain cantankerous.  You can watch the action in this video.

Killdeer are famous for their broken wing stunt. I remember the first time I saw this dramatic act, flopping around on the road dragging its wing until it was convinced it had fooled me.  Suddenly it flew off and I would swear it had a big grin on its bill.  If you have never seen the act, there are videos on on the web including this Youtube clip.

Nest is a generous term as they leave a cluster eggs on open ground, frequently gravel like this drive, apparently assuming that no self-respecting predator would look there.  As you can imagine, this strategy was much more effective before the invention of cars and driveways.

Killdeer chick - Becky Swearingen

Now go to this blog by Becky Swearingen for another killdeer story and some great photos.  

The Precocious Killdeer has more detailed facts.