Hello birders,
I birded today along a powerline cut in eastern Loudoun County, near the county
parkway. Nothing unusual species-wise, but a cool bit of behavior.
At the end I did a perfunctory check of a construction site with a couple of
temporary puddles, and found a Solitary Sandpiper and 2 Killdeer. I spooked
the Killdeer as I arrived, then concentrated on ID-ing the Solitary.
Then I heard a strange sound. In binoculars I found that the Killdeer was
making this funny twittering sound, with its tail fanned and tilted and wings
slightly opened. I lost track of the other Killdeer, and this bird was looking
back over its shoulder - apparently, at me.
I realized this was a distraction display, so approached slowly closer.
(Watching my step to avoid stepping on a nest.) The bird moved further and
repeated all of the above, including the cocked head back towards me.
We did 2 more reps of this interesting dance, then I left. (Again, watching
out for the nest - didn't find it.)
Steve Johnson
Fairfax, Virginia
