This Week's Bird

This Week’s Bird is the killdeer. Chances of seeing a killdeer are very slim in New England this time of year, but the species came up during bedtime last night. I was quizzing the boys on their birds in a old bird book for kids last night when we came to the killdeer.

I didn’t either one of them to get it, but Andrew thought about it and came up with it. Andrew, now 8, said: “I remember when I riding my bike at Hindley (his school) on training wheels and you said: ‘Look at those killdeers over there.'”

I had forgotten about the day and sighting, but do recall seeing killdeer on the expansive lawn several times. Just goes to show that you never know what will stick when talking with a child. Andrew was probably four years old at the time and remembered me pointing out killdeer. Teach children lots of things about nature. They’ll remember.

The killdeer is an odd shorebird, in that it’s usually not found near the shore. They are usually seen on large grassy lawns, even cemeteries. They are a handsome and named after thier song, “killdeer, killdeer, killdeer.”

Thanks for your support of Bird Calls.