Killdeer and Its Trickery

Killdeers are very territorial birds.  I learned how aggressive they can be while photographing Great Blue Heron and Great Egret in early spring.

After ten minutes of photographing Heron and Egret suddenly a Killdeer appeared out of nowhere. The bird was determined to drive me away and began to make menacing calls.  I assume that somewhere nearby was its nest.

To keep the eggs safe from predators, these birds use camouflage and trickery.

The Killdeer often pretends that it has a broken wing to protect eggs or young. This behavior called "a broken-wing act" that often accompanied by a pitiful call.  

The Killdeer I met that day acted as its wing was broken, it stumbled and dragged one wing. 

If you try to follow Killdeer, a bird will lead you to a safe distance from its nest and then will take off and fly away. Later it will sneak back to the nest.  

Generally, life is good.