I first learned of killdeer from my dad, who was walking with me out on the property of the church we attended. The land was being developed, and apparently provided an ideal nesting place for these interesting birds. I was about 13, I guess, and was listening to the long "kill-dee" sound this strange bird was making and watching as it ran about. Dad said if you got too close to its nest, it would begin to act injured in order to draw you away. I was fascinated! So I inched closer to the bird and sure enough, it began to drag about on the ground, one wing appearing to be broken. It led me further and further, until all at once, it up and flew away, back to the nesting area where we had seen it originally.
But I had never seen a baby killdeer until the day before yesterday. I had been sort of wondering what to write about, as nothing too over-the-top had happened in the last few days. Little did I know! I was amused by the mother killdeer, but as I googled their species tonite, and came across this site http://www.birdwatching.com/stories/killdeer.html I was amazed at these little creatures. The article says they are hatched with their "running shoes on." I felt inspired by reading about these brave little creatures, from a nest of rock and stones, hatching out into the world ready to conquer what lies in their path. Do yourself a favor and go read a little about the killdeer. He is a bird worth getting to know. So many beautiful tiny details in this world we live in!
