Killdeer Family

Killdeer are a member of the shorebird family but aren’t usually found at the shore. They are more often seen at inland sites including open agricultural fields, golf courses, athletic fields and other places with short vegetation. They live in both wet and dry environments. This Killdeer chick may only be a day or two old. Chicks are precocious and hatch with a full coat of downy feathers. They can leave the nest as soon as the feathers dry.

Mom was close to the nest site and keeping an eye on her brood.

The nest was close to the refuge road and next to a parking area for wildlife viewing. Killdeer sometimes place their nests in busy spots and seem to tolerate humans as long as they don’t make any threatening gestures. She did get on the nest while we watched and two chicks nestled in with her. She may have still been incubating one or more eggs.