Birds

I can count on one hand the different types of birds I remember around our house growing up: robins, cardinals, blackbirds, blue jays, and, more exotically it seemed, woodpeckers. It could be that I was just not too observant, but since moving out of Nashville, I've seen and learned about many birds I never saw before.

This winter, we've had Canadian geese and wild ducks visit our pond. I haven't been able to identify the ducks yet, since they scare easily and keep flying off whenever I try to sneak up on them. (Note to self: I need Chris to get his binoculars out.)

Other birds I've seen around the farm that I'd never seen before: blue heron, eastern bluebird, indigo buntings...

On the way to my Mom and Dad's house, I kept noticing some birds that would fly away from the side of the road as we drove past. I was impressed by their coloring as they flew, and finally got a good look at one and was able to identify it with the help of my mom's bird book. Reading up on them a little, I learned that they nest in gravel, so that explained why I kept seeing them on the side of the road where the gravel was plentiful.

Not my photo.

Last night, the kids and I went to church. When Finley and Joe jumped out of the van, we immediately heard a loud chirping. I walked around to find a kildeer, in a firm defensive stance, yelling her warning at my kids.

I tried to get a good photo, but the light was failing, and my phone doesn't take the greatest pictures. Edging closer, I could see she was guarding three eggs. They are so well camouflaged, they are really hard to see if you aren't looking carefully. You can kind of make them out in the picture... three roundish 'rocks' right beneath her body.

The kids were so excited, they dragged Pastor Doug over to see the mama bird, then Finley ran inside to ask Mr. Jeff if he could put up some sort of protective barrier around her to keep cars from parking on top of her nest. She wasn't met with quite the same enthusiasm, since people that have lived here for a while are used to the kildeer. Apparently, kildeer can be (understandably) mean, and most just find the bird's choice of nesting in driveways and gravel parking lots inconvenient and annoying.

When we were ready to go home, mama kildeer was no longer by her nest, so I don't know if she was off getting a bite to eat, or if she realized she hadn't nested in the safest spot and abandoned the nest. I'm hoping she chose to try a different location.