A phenomenon I’ve never witnessed before is currently happening on the quarter of a mile gravel road that leads to our driveway. The first time I spotted it, I only saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it might be a snake, I backed up ready to go into action if it was less than a helpful one. (I know, many of you might be thinking, there are no helpful ones of this species.)
To my shock and surprise, what was sitting there, nestled on the hard grey stones was a killdeer. At first, thinking this bird might be hurt, I carefully got out of the car to move toward her. All at once, she stood. Fanning her wings, neck outstretched, her eyes met mine with the most defiant menacing stare, bird or human alike, I’ve ever seen. For camouflaged amongst the stones were three round, grey-speckled eggs that blended perfectly with their surroundings.
I could hardly believe it! I didn’t know what to think. Typically, this bird will lay her eggs in a short-grassed meadow. Or even on a flat rooftop of white pebbles.* So, either she was one of the smartest ones around, using the sweltering heat of the sun beating down on the driveway to speed up the hatching process, OR was one who had lost her mind. How could she ever think this was a safe place to have her babies? How could she hope that raising her wings in a protective stance or staring down an oncoming car could help? To me, this was beyond all comprehension. Until, I realized, that is what we mothers do all the time.