Almost. . .but not quite

Remember last year, when I saw this Killdeer, I had hopes of being lucky enough to see some of the little yellow cottonball babies?

As I peered through a fence (restricted area) I saw a few Killdeer and I wondered if I would be luckier this year.

We nearly missed them, they're so small!  No longer cottonballs, but cute nonetheless.  Miniature versions of their parents dodging this way and that.

The fence kept us from getting closer, darn it!  And they would not come nearer.

There's one on the far left and one on the far right.

Maybe next year.

~ ~ If you wonder why I'm not around, it's because we're up on Washington Island this weekend and there's no internet there - heck there's barely tv there, see you Sunday night.  Oh, don't forget to sign up for the Christmas Ornament Swap a couple of posts down :) ~ ~

Kill dear. Kill deer. Killdeer.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

 

Remember this handsome fellow? Remember how I wanted to see the babies, yellow cotton balls on stilts? Well that didn’t happen.

But, we pulled into a boat landing and were greeted by two young Killdeer. They were less than half the size of the adult.  They are quick little boogers but you should be able to see the second ones’ butt on the right hand side.

They kept running along the short shore, back and forth and back and forth.

Now, picture me with my long lens going back and forth, trying to keep up with them. I’m sure it was a funny sight! Mama was in the air nearby but she never tried to attack me.

He searched for a way to get away. He looked at the water momentarily, then went back to his back and forth running.  Isn't that the cutest fuzzy butt?!

He thought about running between my legs but decided against it.

Then he asked nicely to pass, so of course I let him.

He did pause and pose long enough for one decent shot. I thanked him for his time and off he sprinted.

I whistled at his long sexy legs as he trotted past.

 

Intriguing Killdeer

I have always wanted to see a Killdeer because in the bird book they look so cute. But they had always been elusive, until Saturday. As we pulled up to a dead end road in Wausau, near the interstate, believe it or not, we were greeted by this neat surprise. I took this shot right out the window of the car, he/she (males and females look the same) paused nicely didn’t he. I didn’t crop it at all, btw.

Cute little fellow, isn’t he? The way he was flopping around I thought he was hurt. But in that next shot he looks like he’s asking me if I’m following and of course I obliged him.

After I got home and looked him up in the Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide, I found that the way he was acting was not an indication of him being hurt. Nope, he, or she, act that way to draw intruders away. They build their nests on the ground, often in gravel, so their broken wing impression is a type of protection of the nest.

I also read that their babies look like yellow cotton balls on stilts. Maybe I should go in search of a yellow cotton ball. . . .