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Charadrius vociferus
This adult killdeer put on quite the acting job when I got near its baby. Adults try to draw you away by acting wouned with a broken wing. They act like an easy target to a predator, but if you start geting close to them they fly off a short distance and start acting again, each time taking you futher from their nest or babies.
7 Comments
Great series. I have discovered many a nest by birds exhibiting similar behavior. After knowing where the nest is, I was able to view and photograph it from a distance (with a long lens) so as to not disturb the bird. It is amazing how well those ground nests are camouflaged. Even the chicks are the same color as the ground where they are born.
I've only photographed one killdeer before, and I didn't have my zoom lens then. Haha nice pics, very cool!
Beautiful shots! This act is worthy of an award! I've seen one do it to a bus! (the bus did behave...it was a tour bus). ;-)
Nice pictures. I would definitely enjoy taking these shots myself.
awesome.
They really do deserve an Oscar for their acting abilities. A fun treat to see in real life.
Nice series of an interesting behavior --thanks for this spotting.