A Killdeer has made its nest by our cherry tree in our back yard. I didn't realize that they made their nests on the ground. Their name comes from their frequently heard call. These birds will use the "broken-wing act" to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator. I guess its because I just had a baby but I sure have been protective of these eggs too - trying to help the mama bird out I guess. There are these 2 huge crows that have spotted the nest and keep trying to get at it to steal the eggs, eat the eggs, who knows... but I sure have been yelling at those birds to stay away!! :)
David asked if I and the boys could see the nest and the eggs - I had to look really hard. They are really camouflaged. I was suprised - they blend in really well. The boys keep checking on them to see if they have hatched yet. Can you find them?
3 comments:
Wow, they are really hard to see! We've got some of those in the horse pasture - the baby chicks are so cute (I'm talking from last year though). Um, as far as some desserts go, they are still in the works. I hope you are doing well.
Funny, If you don't read the text and just scroll through the blog it looks like we took the killdeer eggs and colored them for Easter. LOL!
That explains everything. I thought the momma bird was going crazy when we go check out the eggs. But there is a purpose to her madness. Nice!
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