A female Killdeer offers drama to lure predators from her eggs. You can see all my movies on my UA-cam channel: Jo Alwood Click "Subscribe" to be notified of new movies.
It didn't work very well for me, I found the eggs very quickly by observing the radius of its hilarious handicap dance. Luckily for the bird, I'm not a big fan of tiny killdeer eggs. Not too bright laying eggs in flat ground out in the open, but it makes up for somewhat it with its acting ability.
Jo, thank you for helping me understand my "neighbor" last night. I was on an emergency service call on a stone roof and heard the Killdeer, but didn't pay any attention to the calls because bird calls are common in my work. Near sunset, I was walking across the roof toward the ladder and noticed the bird off to one side in a "broken wing" display. I stopped to determine what was happening, having never seen this up close before. When I took another step toward the hatch, the bird, still in "broken wing" started running toward me and snapping it's beak closed. When I stopped, it stopped... I took a few steps backwards and it folded it's wings in a normal standing pattern. I never spotted the nest, but I also took the long way around to the ladder to leave it in peace. I have to return Monday with some parts and plan to give this parent as much leeway as I can.
I always see these running around on the shipyard I'm posted at at night. Lots of times they'll be just sitting in the middle of the yard somewhere and when I get close it'll get up and the run and there'll be babies running around with it. Trying to figure out what kind of bird it was led me here. Rolled up on one in my car last night and I could see it had a baby and it was running away from it. Then it started trying to fake me out with the hurt wing act, but even though I had never seen it before I knew exactly what it was doing. Didn't work. I picked up that baby and ate it. Kidding. I was just moving it a little bit because of the cats in the area. The big one it didn't like that and thought I kidnapped it so they continued following me around the yard screaming at me until eventually they must have heard the baby and went back to it.
Interesting story, Gray. And I did a double take when you said you ate it, then breathed a sigh of relief. I’m just curious about what you typed in the search box if you didn’t know the name of the bird. Broken wing act? Those babies are about the cutest thing going. They’re precocious, meaning that they can get up and run around practically as soon as they hatch. The babies of many ducks and geese are like that.
There’s one that’s been in my neighborhood for a few weeks. It waits till my dog and I get close then it goes into this whole song and dance. I’ve never been one to pay much attention to birds but this one fascinated me and I had to figure out what it was. Thanks so much for the explanation!!!
Tons of these little actors around the building where I work. They love nesting in gravel near old machinery for some odd reason. The males also have flown at me a time or two when the babies hatch. Such a cool little bird
Yes she is protective! I had one have her nest just out in open field on my property. After we saw her we tried not to get close but after babies hatched, omgoodness they were so cute we had to get little bit closer to see them. She definately put on a performance for us. We watched for a little while but left her alone after that and only watched from a distance. So cute!!
Awesome capture of a broken wing auction, dear Jo! Fantastic footage! I love Killdeers - they are the cutest birds. Thank you for sharing this lovely video. Have a great week ahead, my dear friend! :)
Thank you for this video. I just told people at work about the 'jump scare - pretend to have a broken wing' Killdeer bird and this video was perfect to show it in action. (Jump scare because I almost stepped on one in its nest and then it started screeching at me and then commenced the performance of faking a broken wing.)
The day before yesterday it rained in Ontario. Yesterday it was sunny and I went to the park and the manager told me the day before yesterday, she saw through the binocular the mother bird sat on the eggs all day to protect them from the cold rain. Amazing bird!!
We always had these nesting out in our horse pasture when I was a kid. I always enjoyed watching them run around and putting on the broken wing act. They're such nice little birds.
Truly an Oscar-worthy performance! And you get Best Cinematographer, Jo! I saw this decoy act a few times in my younger years, but never when carrying a camera :( Thank you for your great capture! Made my day! Keep up the great work!
This vid is one of my old ones. I started making wildlife movies in the spring of 2013. I'm 77 now (it only took me until I was 71 to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up), but I'm healthy. I exercise and I plan to keep making videos as long as my health permits. Have you ever seen Hooded Mergansers or Wood Ducks? I'm working on movies about those two right now.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Sorry, Jo, I somehow missed your reply. I knew I had watched this video months ago, but even forgot I had commented on it (senior brain. LOL.) May you continue to be blessed with good health and to make great wildlife movies. I'm sure you get exercise, just trying to capture all the birds on film. Don't worry about ever growing up. I hear it's not all it's cracked up to be (from a fellow septuagenarian) :-) We can just stay young at heart at least. No, I've never seen Hooded Mergansers or Wood Ducks, but I'm anxious to check your movies out soon.
That's funny that you found a nine month old reply. I'm glad to know that my effort in making it wasn't wasted after all. 😏 I'm doing all I can to preserve my healthy exactly because I love getting outside with a camera so much.
This is awesome, and really good info to have! I just spotted a Killdeer nest near a busy sidewalk on my campus, it'll be good to know that the female is likely faking an injury if someone gets too close so we shouldn't try to capture and rehab her.
How lucky are you to have a Killdeer nest to observe right there on campus?! And yes, you wouldn't want to try to rescue the female--might step on the eggs in the process. Now you can watch for those precocious hatchlings to start skittering around. That's as much entertainment as the broken wing act.
It's nice to hear you enjoyed the video. Thanks for commenting. This was one of my earliest movies, and I've gotten more sophisticated since then. If you'll check out some of my other vids, I think they'll also enthrall you. ... Or you could just content yourself with seeing one that you like, of course.
There was a killdeer nested next to a traffic cone where my brother and I were parking to join a friend's carpool. When I was too close, she started trying to lure me away by leaving the nest and doing her broken wing display nearby. We humored her and let her lead us away from the nest so she'd feel like a good mom.
I hadn't heard of that board game, so I googled it. Thanks for telling me how you found my channel. I'm not into board games myself, but I'm pretty sure I have many videos that would be helpful to people who play Wingspan. This one, for instance, is all about luring birds to your yard in winter: ua-cam.com/video/2PLfBIge5vU/v-deo.html.
Just noticed this today as I went close to a baby to move it from running in the road. I didn’t know what the mom was doing until I looked up what type of bird it was. Amazing.
Thanks, Bobby. Before I embarked on this hobby, I never gave a thought one way or the other to the quality of my voice. But other viewers have said much the same as you have, so I've come to believe it's a pleasant voice.
I have a mother killdeer with her two babies in my neighborhood, and every time I take a step towards her or the babies she goes a different direction and plays the broken wing act to protect her babies. Brilliant!
There's no telling how many people have been fooled and charmed by these elegant looking birds. If you read a few of the comments below, you'll see what I mean.
I love these little actors. Where I work there's a mother who is on her 2nd set of babies this year. She raised 3 up the first time and now has 4 more. I've gotten her to somewhat trust me because she'll March those babies right up to within 10 feet of me and we just stare at each other. Very cool personalities
I encountered a mother killdeer and her nest the other day at Beaverton Canal Park. I was impressed by the motherly love of her to protect the eggs. Luckily, the manager in the park also found them and put a protective line fence around the nest. The mother bird seems now to make warning chirps less frequently.
I just now ran across your comment about the Killdeer movie, Saturn848. Posting them is my pleasure and knowing that you're enjoying them is also my pleasure.
I maintain baseball fields and had one lay eggs along the fence in the infield. At first, I would get within about 30 feet of the nesting area in my ATV with drag mat on the back, and she would go into her antics. As I dragged the field daily, she let me get closer and closer as she began to get familiar with me. At the end, I would be able to get within three or four feet of her before she would just get up and walk away. Allowing me to drive on and then she would walk back to the nest.
Thank you! You might be the first person who's ever complimented my editing skills, and I appreciate it. Editing is one of the most intriguing aspects of making these movies.
Jo Alwood - Appreciate you! If you want to edit with ease...get an Apple iPhone, Laptop, or tablet. I think all of their products have free iMovie. iMovie is by far the simplest editing software there is. If you try Final Cut Pro, or Premiere Pro (which is what the biggest UA-camr’s are using), it’s a lot more difficult. Premiere Pro is currently the best out there, but if you have Apple products there’s no need to pay monthly and they all come free with iMovie. Good luck! 👍
I enthusiastically agree. In fact, the Creatives at the Apple Store taught me my editing skills. This particular film is old enough that I probably did use iMovie to edit it, but sometime in 2014 I moved up to Final Cut Pro, which gave me more control over the editing process.
Jo Alwood - Yeah... I hear Final Cut Pro is good. I’ve tried Premiere Pro and it was hard. You would have to play with it for a while. Never personally tried Final Cut Pro though. Do you find it to be easy?
Final Cut required a learning curve at first, but the trainers at the Apple Store helped me with it, and Apple Tech Support on the phone offers help as well. I rarely need any assistance with it these days, though I suspect it would do much more if I knew its ins and outs better.
They were in my families yard growing up, got to learn about this early and admittedly I was a bit mean provoking the act, but we took care not to be too mean or all over her eggs. Often we would take the time to find them so we would know where not to walk for the sake of her babies. They fit in too well with gravel, accidentally step on them if you don’t pay attention, especially to the momma. In a weird way, game of hot and cold based on her levels of “loook at meee”. Beautiful birds though, a bit noisy at times but I enjoy their presence.
I met my first killdeer at the church cemetery where my daddy is buried on Mother’s Day. The grave closest to my dad’s has gravel on it and this bird was showing out. The closer I got the more she was acting like her wing was broken. When I got home I searched and found out the beautiful amazing bird I had just seen was a killdeer. I’m fascinated by these creatures and now I know why she was making so much noise and acting like her wings were broken. I thought she might have a nest in the flowers on that grave, then I found out about killdeers nest on the ground. WOW!! Just everything about this bird has fascinated me. I just lost my daddy October 20 2022 and I felt like my daddy was letting me know he is fine and saying to me, check out this bird I found. Because my daddy was a prankster. But that was my first time ever seeing these magnificent creatures. I’m just grateful I didn’t walk on the gravel. But I had to make a video of this unusual little bird or plover. I’m so grateful I got to see my first killdeer at the cemetery. I now also know why it kept running away from gravel. I live in South Carolina and I don’t live near the coast but I know on May 14, 2023 there was two at the church cemetery in Duncan South Carolina.
I enjoyed reading your account of the first time you saw a Killdeer's broken wing act. If your daddy was involved in a prank, I'd say he chose his topic well.
And a very ice compliment. Thank you. By the way, your screen name seems to put you in my generation--Seniors--am I right? And another by the way, I have a couple hundred of these narrated videos. You might like others of them too.
I remember this when I was a child. To me I Knew she had a best near by. I never touched the nests but loved seeing the beautiful eggs hidden in the open. there behavior got worse the closer you got. It was like playing hotter colder.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I used to work on a ouster farm here in Cape Breton. We had many nesting Terns they would start off by diving at you but when you got too close to the nest they would land and revert to the broken wing performance.
I think they’re adorable, would pass a nest walking to Dunkin’s for a time, didn’t see them hatch but I know they survived cause the little munchkin babies were following the parents all around the neighborhood
Killdeer lay their eggs on the ground so they protect their nest with this broken wing act. A game you play with Killdeer is to see which way they're limping away with a broken wing act, then carefully trod in the opposite direction it is heading. Often you will find the nest.
I think this has to be the sweetest act I have ever seen by a parent bird to potentially sacrifice herself for her eggs, these birds need to change the location of where they lay their eggs because laying them on the ground is really not a safe place in the least
Most ducks and shorebirds nest on the ground (and the females suffer high predation rates because of it). Their babies are precocious, in other words ready to start running almost as soon as they hatch. That would help. But in the end, it works. There are LOTS of Killdeer.
Ground nesting birds rely on camouflage, the nest, the eggs, the hen or female sitting motionless on the nest. A nesting bird are hard to spot easily. A predator may not see them either in many instances.
It’s cool when you notice this behavior and start looking around for the nest. I do it just to put a marker down for others to know not to mess with momma.
I was trying to catch the bird outside last night because i thought it was hurt and get it to an animal rehabilitation center. Then i saw more than one doing this and was very confused 😂
I guess I shouln't have assumed that the bird in question was an accomplished actress rather than a consummate actor. I did some quick research and found that both sexes will perform for the right audience.
I believe I first saw a Killdeer in Virginia when we came to the U.S. and lived in Roanoke, and witnessed the same performance. They don't exist in Britain, to my knowledge. Where did you shoot this nicely done video?
I shot it next to Highway 367 just before you cross the bridge over the Mississippi into Alton. The bird sanctuary in that area is full of wetlands and full of Killdeer. Any day you go up there and walk around you'll hear the cries of Killdeer--though you could also hear them if you went to the track at McCluer High School. There's usually a nesting pair there, Martin. They are beautiful, aren't they?
Great video and nice peaceful narration. I first notice these birds at work because I build golf courses and they seem to especially like large dirt areas like tore up driving ranges. I hear them call and see them run but so far I have never seen the broken wing act, my coworkers told me they will do that so I had to look it up. I dont want to stress the poor bird out seeing it in person. But at our current job site, I was blessed to see both parents and two young ones running across a fairway! Do you know if they do the broken wing act even after they've hatched? And do you know whether this is a learned behavior like how adult songs are? Just curious, thanks! Hope you make more bird videos :)
Yeah, that's fun, isn't it, seeing them run with their chicks. I subscribe to Cornell's "Birds of the World" online, and here's what they said about the broken wing act after the young hatch: Injury-Feigning Display seems most intense late in incubation and with new young. Frequency and intensity of Injury-Feigning Display decline a few days after hatching, and the display is uncommon beyond 10 d after hatching The site did not speculate about whether the behavior is learned or innate. I've got about 300 movies up, all narrated like this one. Check out my latest about how Robins locate worms. I was surprised about what I learned, and I think you will be too.
That is a different call, one they typically use. But in this video the mama is alarmed, and that's the call/chirps that you hear in this video. Most birds have a number of calls, including different types of "alarms".
The bird is faking it on the assumption that it can lure the predator away from its nest by pretending to be injured. An injured bird looks like easy prey so predators Will follow them.
I live in a Rural area and the Streets are named after birds. Well the street I live on is Killdeer lane and every time I am asked for my address I get the same question . Do you kill a lot of deer out there. Guess these people never heard of this bird except for country folk
Sigh. Too many people think that if it’s not on TV, it’s hardly worth knowing about. I live in the suburbs, and most of my neighbors pay no attention to the life around them.
The mother, acting injured, grabs the interest of predators and they follow her--AWAY FROM THE NEST. If the predator gets too close to her, she can fly away because she isn't really injured.
lol they can fly just out of reach its not fool proof its a gamble to use themselves as bait but the odds are in their favor as long as they don't let the predator to close to grab them.
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It’s crazy how many times a killdeer did this to me and I didn’t even know
Michael Gallo Next time you’ll be in on the joke.
Literally just now happened to me, I thought it was genuinely hurt.
It didn't work very well for me, I found the eggs very quickly by observing the radius of its hilarious handicap dance. Luckily for the bird, I'm not a big fan of tiny killdeer eggs. Not too bright laying eggs in flat ground out in the open, but it makes up for somewhat it with its acting ability.
Jo, thank you for helping me understand my "neighbor" last night. I was on an emergency service call on a stone roof and heard the Killdeer, but didn't pay any attention to the calls because bird calls are common in my work. Near sunset, I was walking across the roof toward the ladder and noticed the bird off to one side in a "broken wing" display. I stopped to determine what was happening, having never seen this up close before. When I took another step toward the hatch, the bird, still in "broken wing" started running toward me and snapping it's beak closed. When I stopped, it stopped... I took a few steps backwards and it folded it's wings in a normal standing pattern. I never spotted the nest, but I also took the long way around to the ladder to leave it in peace. I have to return Monday with some parts and plan to give this parent as much leeway as I can.
Thanks for sharing that entertaining story, Bear.
Mother Nature is incredible and a mother’s instinct to protect their young is awe inspiring
Agreed on both counts, Jim.
And a father's; Killdeer fathers will do the same "I'm injured" act.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME and Stacey. People always forget Stacey
Most mothers.
Many human mothers butcher their babies out of convenience before they're born
Clever little killdeer. They never fail to bring a smile .😌
One reason I like Killdeer is that they let me SEE them. And if at first I don't notice them, they fly away crying loudly. I like noisy birds.
Me too😀
I always see these running around on the shipyard I'm posted at at night. Lots of times they'll be just sitting in the middle of the yard somewhere and when I get close it'll get up and the run and there'll be babies running around with it. Trying to figure out what kind of bird it was led me here. Rolled up on one in my car last night and I could see it had a baby and it was running away from it. Then it started trying to fake me out with the hurt wing act, but even though I had never seen it before I knew exactly what it was doing. Didn't work. I picked up that baby and ate it.
Kidding. I was just moving it a little bit because of the cats in the area. The big one it didn't like that and thought I kidnapped it so they continued following me around the yard screaming at me until eventually they must have heard the baby and went back to it.
Interesting story, Gray. And I did a double take when you said you ate it, then breathed a sigh of relief. I’m just curious about what you typed in the search box if you didn’t know the name of the bird. Broken wing act? Those babies are about the cutest thing going. They’re precocious, meaning that they can get up and run around practically as soon as they hatch. The babies of many ducks and geese are like that.
There’s one that’s been in my neighborhood for a few weeks. It waits till my dog and I get close then it goes into this whole song and dance. I’ve never been one to pay much attention to birds but this one fascinated me and I had to figure out what it was. Thanks so much for the explanation!!!
My pleasure!
this is incredible. i never knew these birds existed, and now they're my favorite birds of all time.
Yes, they are cutie pies.I hope you get to see them in the flesh--and feather.
Tons of these little actors around the building where I work. They love nesting in gravel near old machinery for some odd reason. The males also have flown at me a time or two when the babies hatch. Such a cool little bird
Yes, a cool little bird. Pretty too.
Yes she is protective! I had one have her nest just out in open field on my property. After we saw her we tried not to get close but after babies hatched, omgoodness they were so cute we had to get little bit closer to see them. She definately put on a performance for us. We watched for a little while but left her alone after that and only watched from a distance. So cute!!
Killdeer mom: Ohh the pain! The agony!!
Also Killdeer mom: HoHoHo Wormies!
Love your screen name. It seems appropriate for someone with your sense of humor.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME thanks man UwU)/
Awesome capture of a broken wing auction, dear Jo! Fantastic footage! I love Killdeers - they are the cutest birds. Thank you for sharing this lovely video. Have a great week ahead, my dear friend! :)
my35Xvision, what a pleasure to hear from someone who enjoyed the video so much. She's a beautiful, dynamic creature, our Killdeer. Isn't she?
Thank you for this video. I just told people at work about the 'jump scare - pretend to have a broken wing' Killdeer bird and this video was perfect to show it in action. (Jump scare because I almost stepped on one in its nest and then it started screeching at me and then commenced the performance of faking a broken wing.)
I was fortunate to see a nest outside my job and daily I'd check up on the nest. To make sure they were still there. It's a beautiful thing.
I hope you also got to see the chicks scampering around once they hatched. Talk about cute!
The day before yesterday it rained in Ontario. Yesterday it was sunny and I went to the park and the manager told me the day before yesterday, she saw through the binocular the mother bird sat on the eggs all day to protect them from the cold rain. Amazing bird!!
I love it when people pass along these anecdotes about birds. Thanks for commenting, Daesik.
We always had these nesting out in our horse pasture when I was a kid. I always enjoyed watching them run around and putting on the broken wing act. They're such nice little birds.
I agree with all you said and would add that their chicks running around are cuteness incarnate.
Killdeers are my favorite type of plover. Wonderful shorebird
Mine too. Love to watch them running around.
Truly an Oscar-worthy performance! And you get Best Cinematographer, Jo! I saw this decoy act a few times in my younger years, but never when carrying a camera :( Thank you for your great capture! Made my day! Keep up the great work!
This vid is one of my old ones. I started making wildlife movies in the spring of 2013. I'm 77 now (it only took me until I was 71 to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up), but I'm healthy. I exercise and I plan to keep making videos as long as my health permits. Have you ever seen Hooded Mergansers or Wood Ducks? I'm working on movies about those two right now.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Sorry, Jo, I somehow missed your reply. I knew I had watched this video months ago, but even forgot I had commented on it (senior brain. LOL.) May you continue to be blessed with good health and to make great wildlife movies. I'm sure you get exercise, just trying to capture all the birds on film. Don't worry about ever growing up. I hear it's not all it's cracked up to be (from a fellow septuagenarian) :-) We can just stay young at heart at least. No, I've never seen Hooded Mergansers or Wood Ducks, but I'm anxious to check your movies out soon.
That's funny that you found a nine month old reply. I'm glad to know that my effort in making it wasn't wasted after all. 😏 I'm doing all I can to preserve my healthy exactly because I love getting outside with a camera so much.
This is awesome, and really good info to have! I just spotted a Killdeer nest near a busy sidewalk on my campus, it'll be good to know that the female is likely faking an injury if someone gets too close so we shouldn't try to capture and rehab her.
How lucky are you to have a Killdeer nest to observe right there on campus?! And yes, you wouldn't want to try to rescue the female--might step on the eggs in the process. Now you can watch for those precocious hatchlings to start skittering around. That's as much entertainment as the broken wing act.
what a beautiful narration! i was enthralled for the entire video, what an incredible bird!
It's nice to hear you enjoyed the video. Thanks for commenting. This was one of my earliest movies, and I've gotten more sophisticated since then. If you'll check out some of my other vids, I think they'll also enthrall you. ... Or you could just content yourself with seeing one that you like, of course.
I see them almost everyday in the spring walking my dog and they do this, God is so incredible 🙌🙏
Every time I see a Killdeer, I have to smile. Not only are they beautiful, they're charming too.
Never underestimate a mother's love!
Also father
There was a killdeer nested next to a traffic cone where my brother and I were parking to join a friend's carpool. When I was too close, she started trying to lure me away by leaving the nest and doing her broken wing display nearby. We humored her and let her lead us away from the nest so she'd feel like a good mom.
How cool is that, that you got to see her act?! (And I chuckled at how you humored her.)
Wingspan board game brought me here!
I hadn't heard of that board game, so I googled it. Thanks for telling me how you found my channel. I'm not into board games myself, but I'm pretty sure I have many videos that would be helpful to people who play Wingspan. This one, for instance, is all about luring birds to your yard in winter: ua-cam.com/video/2PLfBIge5vU/v-deo.html.
Just noticed this today as I went close to a baby to move it from running in the road. I didn’t know what the mom was doing until I looked up what type of bird it was. Amazing.
No video can match the experience of seeing this in person, right? I'm sure you feel privileged to have seen it.
Thanks for the video! You should look into narrating audiobooks too - very calming voice.
Thanks, Bobby. Before I embarked on this hobby, I never gave a thought one way or the other to the quality of my voice. But other viewers have said much the same as you have, so I've come to believe it's a pleasant voice.
I have a mother killdeer with her two babies in my neighborhood, and every time I take a step towards her or the babies she goes a different direction and plays the broken wing act to protect her babies. Brilliant!
There's no telling how many people have been fooled and charmed by these elegant looking birds. If you read a few of the comments below, you'll see what I mean.
I'm glad I noticed the nest and went around.
Yes, we big, clumsy oafs can do a lot of damage without even meaning to
I love these little actors. Where I work there's a mother who is on her 2nd set of babies this year. She raised 3 up the first time and now has 4 more. I've gotten her to somewhat trust me because she'll March those babies right up to within 10 feet of me and we just stare at each other. Very cool personalities
What can I say? I'm jealous. ... And enjoy your privileges.
I so appreciated this! Thank you 🙏
Thank you for sharing this video
My pleasure and thanks for commenting.
I encountered a mother killdeer and her nest the other day at Beaverton Canal Park. I was impressed by the motherly love of her to protect the eggs. Luckily, the manager in the park also found them and put a protective line fence around the nest. The mother bird seems now to make warning chirps less frequently.
And another cool anecdote!
I think your videos
are great, thanks for posting them. :-)
I love to hear such praise of my movies, Saturn848. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I just now ran across your comment about the Killdeer movie, Saturn848. Posting them is my pleasure and knowing that you're enjoying them is also my pleasure.
I see these all the time when I'm fueling up an airplane to fly. They seem to like nesting under the tanks. They must enjoy having the audience.
Even though they hamit up, I wouldn’t have thought they cared that much about having an audience.
I maintain baseball fields and had one lay eggs along the fence in the infield. At first, I would get within about 30 feet of the nesting area in my ATV with drag mat on the back, and she would go into her antics. As I dragged the field daily, she let me get closer and closer as she began to get familiar with me. At the end, I would be able to get within three or four feet of her before she would just get up and walk away. Allowing me to drive on and then she would walk back to the nest.
Well now, that was fun to read about. Thanks for telling me.
Epic video! Exactly what I’ve always observed here in Texas! Excellent edit! Appreciate the strong work!
Thank you! You might be the first person who's ever complimented my editing skills, and I appreciate it. Editing is one of the most intriguing aspects of making these movies.
Jo Alwood - Appreciate you! If you want to edit with ease...get an Apple iPhone, Laptop, or tablet. I think all of their products have free iMovie. iMovie is by far the simplest editing software there is. If you try Final Cut Pro, or Premiere Pro (which is what the biggest UA-camr’s are using), it’s a lot more difficult. Premiere Pro is currently the best out there, but if you have Apple products there’s no need to pay monthly and they all come free with iMovie. Good luck! 👍
I enthusiastically agree. In fact, the Creatives at the Apple Store taught me my editing skills. This particular film is old enough that I probably did use iMovie to edit it, but sometime in 2014 I moved up to Final Cut Pro, which gave me more control over the editing process.
Jo Alwood - Yeah... I hear Final Cut Pro is good. I’ve tried Premiere Pro and it was hard. You would have to play with it for a while. Never personally tried Final Cut Pro though. Do you find it to be easy?
Final Cut required a learning curve at first, but the trainers at the Apple Store helped me with it, and Apple Tech Support on the phone offers help as well. I rarely need any assistance with it these days, though I suspect it would do much more if I knew its ins and outs better.
They were in my families yard growing up, got to learn about this early and admittedly I was a bit mean provoking the act, but we took care not to be too mean or all over her eggs. Often we would take the time to find them so we would know where not to walk for the sake of her babies. They fit in too well with gravel, accidentally step on them if you don’t pay attention, especially to the momma.
In a weird way, game of hot and cold based on her levels of “loook at meee”.
Beautiful birds though, a bit noisy at times but I enjoy their presence.
I'd love to have them on our property as you did. That's a wonderful childhood memory.
I met my first killdeer at the church cemetery where my daddy is buried on Mother’s Day. The grave closest to my dad’s has gravel on it and this bird was showing out. The closer I got the more she was acting like her wing was broken. When I got home I searched and found out the beautiful amazing bird I had just seen was a killdeer. I’m fascinated by these creatures and now I know why she was making so much noise and acting like her wings were broken. I thought she might have a nest in the flowers on that grave, then I found out about killdeers nest on the ground. WOW!! Just everything about this bird has fascinated me. I just lost my daddy October 20 2022 and I felt like my daddy was letting me know he is fine and saying to me, check out this bird I found. Because my daddy was a prankster. But that was my first time ever seeing these magnificent creatures. I’m just grateful I didn’t walk on the gravel. But I had to make a video of this unusual little bird or plover. I’m so grateful I got to see my first killdeer at the cemetery. I now also know why it kept running away from gravel. I live in South Carolina and I don’t live near the coast but I know on May 14, 2023 there was two at the church cemetery in Duncan South Carolina.
I enjoyed reading your account of the first time you saw a Killdeer's broken wing act. If your daddy was involved in a prank, I'd say he chose his topic well.
I had a whip-poor-will do this to me and my dog. Beautiful
Wow, who knew birds could be so clever
0:13 I noticed this is a Crime Scene. Dead Cabbage Patch doll laying its side.
Thanks for the chuckle.
Awwwww.
Very nice video and great narration, thank you 😊
And a very ice compliment. Thank you. By the way, your screen name seems to put you in my generation--Seniors--am I right? And another by the way, I have a couple hundred of these narrated videos. You might like others of them too.
Yes indeed. 🌹
Birds are amazing..
👍
Well, this was excellent.
Thank you, Karin. I'm trying to make a habit of it. 😉
I remember this when I was a child. To me I Knew she had a best near by. I never touched the nests but loved seeing the beautiful eggs hidden in the open. there behavior got worse the closer you got. It was like playing hotter colder.
Yes, as the picture says, they give Oscar worthy performances.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I used to work on a ouster farm here in Cape Breton. We had many nesting Terns they would start off by diving at you but when you got too close to the nest they would land and revert to the broken wing performance.
@@stephenbray9816 What a great memory!
Amazing
You'll get no argument from me on that score, Thanasis.
Oh! Oh no! I'm so injured and helpleeess! Don't come over heeeeere! *Turns to see if you're looking*
You've captured the spirit of the ploy perfectly.
I think they’re adorable, would pass a nest walking to Dunkin’s for a time, didn’t see them hatch but I know they survived cause the little munchkin babies were following the parents all around the neighborhood
Yes, munchkins: the perfect word for them.
i had one do the broken wing act in front of my car, i slowed way, way down to not hurt her. then i saw her fluffy babies by the side of the road!
I'm sure you thought it was one of the cutest things you ever saw.
That's what a real mother does protect her young
Agreed.
Killdeer lay their eggs on the ground so they protect their nest with this broken wing act. A game you play with Killdeer is to see which way they're limping away with a broken wing act, then carefully trod in the opposite direction it is heading. Often you will find the nest.
👍
I think this has to be the sweetest act I have ever seen by a parent bird to potentially sacrifice herself for her eggs, these birds need to change the location of where they lay their eggs because laying them on the ground is really not a safe place in the least
I know, it seems like a foolish place to nest. ... And yet this species does prosper!
I love these birds :)
I just sawthis and thought it was a mating dance..now I'm worried her eggs are on our parking lot....
You might very well be right too. Is there any way to find the eggs and enclose them?
I just wonder how many of the killdeer babies make it out of the nest. Being on the ground seems to be a terrible idea.🤧🤧🤧
Most ducks and shorebirds nest on the ground (and the females suffer high predation rates because of it). Their babies are precocious, in other words ready to start running almost as soon as they hatch. That would help. But in the end, it works. There are LOTS of Killdeer.
Ground nesting birds rely on camouflage, the nest, the eggs, the hen or female sitting motionless on the nest. A nesting bird are hard to spot easily. A predator may not see them either in many instances.
Nice video. What a great actor.
:-) Jai
Some might say the Killdeer chewed the scenery a little too much, but I call it an Oscar winning performance. Thanks for commenting,Jai.
It’s cool when you notice this behavior and start looking around for the nest. I do it just to put a marker down for others to know not to mess with momma.
Good idea!
I was trying to catch the bird outside last night because i thought it was hurt and get it to an animal rehabilitation center. Then i saw more than one doing this and was very confused 😂
Glad you were saved the embarrassment of showing up at an animal shelter with a perfectly healthy bird. 😉
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME o yeah haha I'm sure they would have known right away when they saw it haha
Good closeup of nesting Killdeer. @
I always thought it was daddy killdeer did the broken wing act.
I guess I shouln't have assumed that the bird in question was an accomplished actress rather than a consummate actor. I did some quick research and found that both sexes will perform for the right audience.
I believe I first saw a Killdeer in Virginia when we came to the U.S. and lived in Roanoke, and witnessed the same performance. They don't exist in Britain, to my knowledge. Where did you shoot this nicely done video?
I shot it next to Highway 367 just before you cross the bridge over the Mississippi into Alton. The bird sanctuary in that area is full of wetlands and full of Killdeer. Any day you go up there and walk around you'll hear the cries of Killdeer--though you could also hear them if you went to the track at McCluer High School. There's usually a nesting pair there, Martin. They are beautiful, aren't they?
Broken wing distraction display
That's an accurate description.
Have had these birds get aggressive
I hadn't heard that, but it doesn't surprise me. Just goes to show what brave, dedicated parents they are.
Awwwwwww wow
Great video and nice peaceful narration. I first notice these birds at work because I build golf courses and they seem to especially like large dirt areas like tore up driving ranges. I hear them call and see them run but so far I have never seen the broken wing act, my coworkers told me they will do that so I had to look it up. I dont want to stress the poor bird out seeing it in person. But at our current job site, I was blessed to see both parents and two young ones running across a fairway! Do you know if they do the broken wing act even after they've hatched? And do you know whether this is a learned behavior like how adult songs are? Just curious, thanks! Hope you make more bird videos :)
Yeah, that's fun, isn't it, seeing them run with their chicks. I subscribe to Cornell's "Birds of the World" online, and here's what they said about the broken wing act after the young hatch:
Injury-Feigning Display seems most intense late in incubation and with new young. Frequency and intensity of Injury-Feigning Display decline a few days after hatching, and the display is uncommon beyond 10 d after hatching
The site did not speculate about whether the behavior is learned or innate.
I've got about 300 movies up, all narrated like this one. Check out my latest about how Robins locate worms. I was surprised about what I learned, and I think you will be too.
Đã quá👍👍❤❤❤❤
☺
I did not hear the Kill-Dee call. Confused.
The bird wasn't making the call while it was trying to lure me away from its nest.
That is a different call, one they typically use.
But in this video the mama is alarmed, and that's the call/chirps that you hear in this video.
Most birds have a number of calls, including different types of "alarms".
Why would it break its own wing? He wouldn’t be able to fly if he has a wobbly leg.
The bird is faking it on the assumption that it can lure the predator away from its nest by pretending to be injured. An injured bird looks like easy prey so predators Will follow them.
Birdywood application
I live in a Rural area and the Streets are named after birds. Well the street I live on is Killdeer lane and every time I am asked for my address I get the same question . Do you kill a lot of deer out there. Guess these people never heard of this bird except for country folk
Sigh. Too many people think that if it’s not on TV, it’s hardly worth knowing about. I live in the suburbs, and most of my neighbors pay no attention to the life around them.
way more than my mom ever did for me 🙄
That got a chuckle.
Kenny vs spenny anyone? Lol
I don’t get the reference. Care to explain?
Падаете кричите делаете вид что сломали ногу . Она вам червя принисет
What does this provide them? If you act injured then you're easier to kill and seem weak
The mother, acting injured, grabs the interest of predators and they follow her--AWAY FROM THE NEST. If the predator gets too close to her, she can fly away because she isn't really injured.
lol they can fly just out of reach its not fool proof its a gamble to use themselves as bait but the odds are in their favor as long as they don't let the predator to close to grab them.
You forgot the part in the title where is says "narrated by an old dusty woman with a shitty mic"
Good closeup of nesting Killdeer. @
Good closeup of nesting Killdeer. @
Thanks, Steve. And by the way, I recently posted this one minute movie about a Killdeer: ua-cam.com/video/3tdISamhCS0/v-deo.html