Killdeer

[Joemeche]

Spent a little time yesterday with a nesting pair of Killdeer, on the north side of Bellingham Bay. Lots of posing and the ever-popular broken-wing distraction display.

 

[Bill Anderson]

I am surprised the killdeer have survived as a species given that they just lay their eggs on bare ground.

 

[BobH]

Yes, that is pretty surprising. On the other hand, they nest in gravel and rocky ground. The eggs blend in extremely well, and are hard to find even if you know where to look! So they're pretty safe from predators.

 

[Joemeche]

And then you have these little bundles that come out of the egg....ready for action.

 

[Christine]

Great shots as usual.. i love to watch these birds... We always have some nesting in the cemetery in back of my home...

 

[BobH]

Yep, the little guys come out of the eggs and are ready to go, unlike most baby birds. They can't fly, but they can, and do, run quite well.

I had the pleasure of watching a nest many years ago. They were right outside of my office window in the gravel yard. They'd picked a nice quiet corner, so it was fine. I watched them day in and day out. The one I recall most was one of our PNW torrential downpours. Mom (?) sat that as it rained buckets. Soon water was flowing through the gravel. She tucked her head under her wing and toughed out the mini typhoon.

Finally one day they hatched. Wandered around for a few moments and then were off and running behind mom to hide in nearby tall grass. Little "mini mes" they were really cute.