Killdeer at a Shore

Although I frequently see Killdeer away from water, they are taxonomically shorebirds, so perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised to see one along the banks of a stream (Dukes Brook). I don't think they dislike the water, though they are fairly comfortable nesting and foraging away from it [1]. 

The Killdeer was spotted in April, a time when this area gets quite a few migratory shorebirds. While I'd like to think that the Killdeer was at the shore to socialize with these other shorebirds, having names like Solitary Sandpiper suggests to me that they're not the most social birds in the world. (On the other hand, it does sound like Lesser Yellowlegs will flock together, though whether that sociability extends to Killdeer is uncertain.)

April 12, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 272115395, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] FWIW some other shorebirds seem to feel similarly.

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