French la Vie

 

My mother lives down a paved lane, where along the sides are of dirt and gravel, followed by a fence, then fields. It is on the outskirts of town.

 

"Since there is no structure to stand out from its surroundings, a Kildeer nest blends marvelously into the background. Furthermore, the speckled eggs themselves look like stones. The "nest," which is just a slight depression in the gravel." 

 

 

 

 

photo via nature almanac

 

 

photo via nature almanac

 

Driving down the lane my mother noticed the Kildeer fly across the lane to the other side, "Look," she said, "The bird is trying to distract us, she must have a nest nearby."

So we stopped the car to take a look. Camouflaged by nature's genius, it was not easy to find, the mother bird did her "look over here, look at me" dance.

"The Kildeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest."

Kildeer that breed in the Caribbean and Mexico can nest year-round. In northern areas, Kildeer only raise one brood per season, though they may lay up to three broods of eggs. However, in the southern U.S., Kildeer often raise two broods of chicks in one summer.

 

It takes nearly a month for Kildeer eggs to hatch. The parents lead the babies away as soon as their down feathers dry within a few hours of hatching." via wiki

 

 

 

Three eggs.

As we go up and down the lane often, and my family comes over to visit, the poor little Kildeer is constantly dancing. I imagine she is exhausted by the end of the day. Certainly she is thinking "Never again on the Amaro lane."

xxxC