Oystercatchers! (Sadly no photos)

[narya_flame]

 I saw loads of these little guys down at the beach this morning, hanging out by the rock pools.  I didn't want to go too close as I had the dog with me and even on-lead I suspect that would have stressed them, but it was nice to see.

Comments

[meowmensteen]

So cool. Those are ones I try to look for whenever I'm on the coast. I still haven't seen one though.

[narya_flame]

They're so cute! I love them.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Around here we have lots of killdeer. This area is reclaimed marsh prairie, which claim is disputed every time it rains a lot, and the killdeer seem content with drainage ditches and ephemeral pools.

Re: Yay!

[narya_flame]

Oh, I love killdeer! We don't have them here, but I keep an eye and ear out for them when I cross the pond.

Re: Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

A drainage ditch runs not far from here, and that has herons. Blackbirds like to hang around it too. In town there is a lake with more waterfowl. :D Spring and fall migration can be interesting because the fields flood (reclaimed marsh) and ducks or geese will land in the ephemeral pools.

Re: Yay!

[meowmensteen]

It took me years before I was able to spot a Killdeer. I used to hear them a lot at night when I used to ride my bicycle along the coast home from a late night baking job. To date I've only seen them twice. The second time I was able to witness one faking injury to lure a crow away from its nest.

Re: Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here I hear them often. We see them wheeling above the fields, and doing their little shorebird run across the road, especially when the fields are flooded. At least once I've found a nest in the yard. That was the year everything was having sex in our grass -- baby birds, baby rabbits, baby snakes, all over the place. We had to wait an extra couple weeks to mow the savanna until things stopped spurting out from underfoot while walking through it. I suspect that more often the killdeer nest in the prairie garden which only has paths mowed through it.

Re: Yay!

[meowmensteen]

Once I was walking around on a beach on the Washington coast when I spotted a whole group of what I thought was Killdeer. It wasn't until I got back to my hotel room and looked at my pictures on a laptop that I realized they were Plovers. They look so similar: https://365project.org/stephomy/365/2020-07-23

Re: Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I looked up both. I'm pretty sure that what we have in my area are killdeer. I'll keep an eye out for plovers, though; it seems they are in Illinois too.

Re: Yay!

[narya_flame]

The second time I was able to witness one faking injury to lure a crow away from its nest.

I would love to see that! That's the reason I love them so much. Very smart birds.