Maggie's Farm

I saw a Killdeer with three teensy, just-hatched miniature Killdeer chicks running around a large gravel parking lot during my morning walk today.

That was a sight which gladdened my heart and sweetened my soul.

The Killdeer is found, either breeding or wintering, in all states of the US. It's a plover of open ground, and not particularly associated with water like most plovers.

You will never find them in tall grass or woodlands, but you can occasionally see them doing their run-and-pause bug-hunting technique on pebbly shorelines.

Their "killdeer" call, sometimes heard at night, and the rusty flash of tail, are distinctive.

You can read about this not-uncommon bird here. Every good person loves the Killdeer.