I love watching Kildeer. I have seen them with very tiny young ones, but if they all sit down on a gravel road they just blend in.
One of my most profound moments is when a mom Kildeer had a baby fall into a grated area about 2 feet deep. She was in a panic, and it seemed like she was asking for help. I went to the grate and looked in and sure enough, the young one could hear it's mom calling and was also trying to figure out how to get out. It was still flightless, so it had very limited options. The bars of the grate were about 3 inches apart. I tried to see if I could pry them off, but no. I had to get creative. I ripped a narrow strip off a beach towel I had, folded it in half and dropped the looped end down to the baby. After a lot of coaxing, I finally got it in the loop. It seemed to realize this was the only way out and relaxed in the looped cloth. I SLOWLY raised it through the bars and brought it out to solid ground lowered both ends of the towel, and the baby ran to the mom. Mom excitedly ran circles around the baby, inspecting it to make sure it was OK. Then they both ran off together chattering back and forth. It was so cool to see them reunited!
Thanks Mercy. Safe travels. (It won’t hurt if some of these posts only come out in written form.). And thanks Bill for another terrific post. Wonderful photos too. Thanks so much.
thank you for sharing your adventures in nature. this was sad. I grew up loving all that man has muscled out of living naturally. We are arrogant apes.
“Rivers of asphalt.” “Grass mown short for unnecessarily wide expanses, eliminating homes and food for innumerable life forms.” Bill Davison, I must admit to no small degree of anguish from reading about the consequences of environmentally illiterate actions by both public and private entities. “And still (s)he persisted!” The infamous remark by a Senate “leader” as he shushed Elizabeth Warren mid-speech as she challenged prevailing thinking. I cite that in support of your writing, in the event SubStack has to bow to political pressure to curtail the frequent posts by respected Nature writers that run counter to monied interests. My high horse? In my 77 years I’ve seen a marked erosion in what our country stands for. Particularly in recent years. Please never hesitate, Bill, to speak to my narrow views of life and people.
Lovely. They do the same thing here. Cut away the grass at the edges of the WWTP ponds. When it was stopped for a while, so many birds use it to hide and to get out of the hot sun! I wish our priorities were right, well right for the birds. ;)
How could I NOT notice the industrial mower along the roadside this morning after reading your post. I gave thought to whether or not there were any Killdeer nests on the chopping block.
They Killdeer eyes on your photos are captivating.
Here in Massachusetts the state is at least somewhat responsive to nesting seasons and pollinators when it comes to mowing, which may be annual or biannual, enough to maintain necessary sightlines but provide habitat for birds and pollinators.
I have a cabin in the mountains of Colorado, where some people insist on mowing the grass, what little there is. I've seen the same thing in northern Wisconsin where people wonder what happened to the chipmunks. There's some desire for "neatness" that isn't quite rational. Here at the Colorado cabin, where I leave the wildflowers and grasses to grow, I watch chipmunks, ground squirrels and birds make their way through the tall grasses. I especially note the juncos, which quickly peck at any seed on the ground. There's a whole circle of life among these wild plants, one that goes away when the grasses are gone. Thank you, Bill, for noticing the kildeer. One has to admire their spirit.
I love watching Kildeer. I have seen them with very tiny young ones, but if they all sit down on a gravel road they just blend in.
One of my most profound moments is when a mom Kildeer had a baby fall into a grated area about 2 feet deep. She was in a panic, and it seemed like she was asking for help. I went to the grate and looked in and sure enough, the young one could hear it's mom calling and was also trying to figure out how to get out. It was still flightless, so it had very limited options. The bars of the grate were about 3 inches apart. I tried to see if I could pry them off, but no. I had to get creative. I ripped a narrow strip off a beach towel I had, folded it in half and dropped the looped end down to the baby. After a lot of coaxing, I finally got it in the loop. It seemed to realize this was the only way out and relaxed in the looped cloth. I SLOWLY raised it through the bars and brought it out to solid ground lowered both ends of the towel, and the baby ran to the mom. Mom excitedly ran circles around the baby, inspecting it to make sure it was OK. Then they both ran off together chattering back and forth. It was so cool to see them reunited!
🙌
🙏🏼
👏
🤗🤗🤗
Thank you for reminding others of not mowing too far.
In Denmark there is a trend called ‘Vild med vilje’, sth. like ‘wild by intention’. Could you initiate such a movement in your area?
Mow, wildlife’s killjoy…
woe comes to Killdeer nests, all
“searching for safe ground.”
"The strips we leave would fill the countryside with song." Oof.
I LOVED this line too!
you had me at "kayak", bill. thank you for this tender, difficult piece of humans and nature.
Thanks Mercy. Safe travels. (It won’t hurt if some of these posts only come out in written form.). And thanks Bill for another terrific post. Wonderful photos too. Thanks so much.
thank you for sharing your adventures in nature. this was sad. I grew up loving all that man has muscled out of living naturally. We are arrogant apes.
“Rivers of asphalt.” “Grass mown short for unnecessarily wide expanses, eliminating homes and food for innumerable life forms.” Bill Davison, I must admit to no small degree of anguish from reading about the consequences of environmentally illiterate actions by both public and private entities. “And still (s)he persisted!” The infamous remark by a Senate “leader” as he shushed Elizabeth Warren mid-speech as she challenged prevailing thinking. I cite that in support of your writing, in the event SubStack has to bow to political pressure to curtail the frequent posts by respected Nature writers that run counter to monied interests. My high horse? In my 77 years I’ve seen a marked erosion in what our country stands for. Particularly in recent years. Please never hesitate, Bill, to speak to my narrow views of life and people.
Lovely. They do the same thing here. Cut away the grass at the edges of the WWTP ponds. When it was stopped for a while, so many birds use it to hide and to get out of the hot sun! I wish our priorities were right, well right for the birds. ;)
You are creating awareness Bill!
How could I NOT notice the industrial mower along the roadside this morning after reading your post. I gave thought to whether or not there were any Killdeer nests on the chopping block.
They Killdeer eyes on your photos are captivating.
I appreciate the incredible photos and the concision of the text.
I am glad that you noticed and commented on the concision of the text. I made a special effort to be concise with this one. It was really hard for me.
Here in Massachusetts the state is at least somewhat responsive to nesting seasons and pollinators when it comes to mowing, which may be annual or biannual, enough to maintain necessary sightlines but provide habitat for birds and pollinators.
Thank you for sharing this information. Being a birder myself, I have seen similar circumstances and it does make one worry.......
This piece breaks my heart.
I have been thinking a lot lately on how little we are leaving for the other creatures in this earth.
What photos!!!! And thank you Bill for reminding us that human habits often have a huge impact on wild creatures just searching for safe ground.
I have a cabin in the mountains of Colorado, where some people insist on mowing the grass, what little there is. I've seen the same thing in northern Wisconsin where people wonder what happened to the chipmunks. There's some desire for "neatness" that isn't quite rational. Here at the Colorado cabin, where I leave the wildflowers and grasses to grow, I watch chipmunks, ground squirrels and birds make their way through the tall grasses. I especially note the juncos, which quickly peck at any seed on the ground. There's a whole circle of life among these wild plants, one that goes away when the grasses are gone. Thank you, Bill, for noticing the kildeer. One has to admire their spirit.