 |
| The very well camoflaged egg |
 |
Dancing up a storm to distract me
I can't even see her head |
 |
| She was also very vocal |
 |
| They actually look quite pretty when they do this |
 |
| Temporary barricade |
 |
And Bruno couldn't care less
|
When I was hand-walking BrunZ around the ring yesterday, preparatory to riding [to let him get the saddle "feel", and tighten the girth] a killdeer became most upset and vocal. She was in one corner of the ring, and obviously had a nest there.
While I rode, she was extremely brave in her attempts to warn us away. At one point, I glanced below my inside leg/boot, and she was almost directly under us. Several times she swooped around Bruno, almost right under his nose. Thankfully, Bruno could not give a damn, and just kept evenly going on.
After I finished riding, and took care of BrunZ, I went to the corner to see if I could find her nest. There was nothing yesterday, but today, while cleaning the ring, I found her nest with one egg. She will probably lay two or three more, and then it will be a few weeks till they hatch. We had a similar situation last year, when they decided to nest on top of the manure pile. I would get scolded every morning by "mom" about not disturbing the kids.
Wow, what great shots, Kathryn...and a very interesting story.
ReplyDeleteKathryn I love these posts from your daily life ...great stories, and you really show your love and respect for nature with the choice of your words.
ReplyDeleteHugs
I love that photo of her dancing up a storm! Shes like a beautoful fan or a whirling dirvish. I love the way you have to work at seeing what is really going on!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonder that is life, and you respect at all times, you're a special person.
ReplyDeleteThank you for special moments with this.
A hug
Very interesting, boy life on the farm is very much different from the burbs. The killdeer is sure a pretty bird. Looking forward to seeing the new family when they arrive.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathryn - thanks for sharing the story and the photos. Reminds me of a kildeer momma who layed her eggs on a gentle hill in our backyard in Connecticut years ago. Our neighbors dog Honey - a beautiful springer spaniel - decided it was her job to protect the nest. She patrolled the area around the nest day and night. It was quite an experience and a delight to see!
ReplyDeleteThose are fantastic photos and a great story! I don't think I've ever really seen a kildeer up close, heard them lots but never seen one. And what a good steady boy Bruno is to be so calm about it!
ReplyDeleteThat's so neat. My mom has them in her garden. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. Those mama birds can be pretty protective, can't say I blame them. We have baby birds in a nest on our front door. I was able to photograph them from eggs to babies. We went out of town last week and when I came home I opened my door, which goes into my house and out flew 2 birds. I'm lucky they didn't fly into the house.
ReplyDelete