A few days ago we noticed birds displaying some very interesting behavior in our field.

It would fan out its wings revealing a reddish colored back.

And sort of wobble around.

At times it would flatten itself almost completely out on the ground.

It was really quite the act. I had seen these birds in a neighbor’s field last year doing the same act. Actually we are now farming in that same field. I did some research and discoverd it was a killdeer trying to lead predators away from its nest. Earlier this year I noticed the birds again, but assumed they must have their nest in one of the neighboring cover crop fields. I didn’t think that recently the fields had been mowed by our farm manager and the birds were still there doing their act.

Today Proeun was weeding between our broccoli when he discovered the nest.

Of course I wanted to show it to the children but was a little hesitant to say the least. Two is very very interested in animals of all kinds. At times it is like he can’t help but reach out and touch them. So this will be a good learning experience for him. Earlier in the day Two was scolding Avril for abandoning a worm in need of help he said, “we have to help animals, we have to help God take care of animals.” He did save that worm. Now we just have to keep an eye not necessarily on him but the younger children, especially once the baby birds pop out.

My bird book says they nest mid-April through mid-May so these little babies are a little late. The book also says that the babies won’t fly until they are 20-30 days old.

I feel a great deal of responsibility for wild animals that our human policies and behaviors disrupt, even if we mean well as in the case of organic farming. Luckily it seems like Two has a similar idea, now we just have to see how things pan out.

In any case we read in the bird book about the behavior or trying to lure predators away from their eggs but we experienced it.