A Killdeer looking out over . . . .

. . . the water, you say? Given that the Killdeer is a plover, a wading shore bird, that would seem the sensible answer. And the grayish, undulating backdrop might also suggest the low waves of a sea shore. But guess again.

This Killdeer looks out from a small island of mulch (surrounding a hardy ornamental tree) on a parking lot. Not the best place to rear your young, and yet that's exactly what this plover is up to. (See the bottom photo below.)

The Killdeer is a shorebird that eats insects, worms, and other invertebrates and is as at home scouting for these in pastures and fields as on shorelines. But I'll never understand why a shorebird like this pretty plover would ever choose to abandon sea and field for macadam. It baffles me.

If anyone knows, I'd love an explanation!

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart . . . and take care not to step on any Killdeer's eggs.

Georgia Anne