Now I know how killdeer got their name.
Contrary to what’s reported in zoology texts, their call sounds nothing like the words “kill deer.” Whoever came up with that most likely attended the Helen Keller School of Bird Watching. Killdeer sound more like rusted, squeaking Walmart shopping carts being pushed around your house, 24/7.
For a month, the killdeer eggs sat in our pasture. We marked the area with stones so as not to step on them. We kept the horses in a different pasture. We looked at the eggs daily to ensure they were OK, and eventually the mother displayed only token displeasure when we were near. We also learned to interpret her different calls, including the one that signaled panic.
Twice at night, the mother’s cries alerted us to a fox in the pasture. Armed with a spotlight and .22 rifle, I shot at the predator, despite being over 100 yards away. I had little chance of hitting the running fox, but scared it sufficiently to ensure a few hours of peace.
And then the babies were born.
Killdeer babies, just a few hours after hatching
Killdeer babies are “precocial” which means they’re born with feathers and can almost immediately leave the nest to forage for insects. They can’t fly, but they run like they’ve been shoplifting at Petsmart. The mom and dad try to keep tabs on the frantic foursome with constant squeals, fleet feet and aerial acrobatics.
The babies are cute and this all sounds endearing, until you realize your front yard is the killdeer fairgrounds and this avian rodeo is in town for weeks.
Killdeer babies - photo by Leslie Keck
Killdeer baby - photo by Leslie Keck
Picture your next-door neighbor coming home from the hospital with quadruplets. There are a few “Ooooo” and “Ahhhhh” moments, but after several hours the babies jump to their feet and head for different exits. One runs out the front door, another the back door and two find open windows.
The mother yells for the father to help and they both run outside to catch the babies. One infant is running down the street, another is being chased by your dog and two are running around the pool to see who gets dizzy and falls down first. Everyone is screaming.
Finally, the kids run out of gas and plop down in your driveway. Mom and dad are so exhausted, they let the babies rest wherever they fall until their batteries are recharged and the noisy circus begins anew … usually just when you’ve fallen asleep.
That’s life with a killdeer family. They’re in all three pastures and just about everywhere else – all at once, it seems. Leslie has to avoid running over them when she comes home at night. They squeal at everything and anything. I’m over it.
So how did killdeer get their name? After two months of this, I turned to Leslie and said, “I have the urge to kill, dear.” Mystery solved.
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Posted by A. Keck 
