Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Killdeer will range over most of the North American Continent into Mexico, even as far south as northern South America. We usually find them in pastoral and marshy habitats. As a shorebird and member of the plover clan, it can surprise us when we find these birds well away from water.
I sometimes jokingly call them the Double-Banded Plover, but their common name comes from the sound of their calls. Their scientific name vociferus (meaning outspoken) is a reference to its incessant loud cry. Sometimes their nesting practices confound logic, with nests placed in plain view on driveways, or next to well-travelled sidewalks, even rock-lined roofs on houses, garages or commercial buildings.
Today, science recognises three subspecies of Killdeer:
- C. v. vociferus breeds throughout North America, with some winter migration to the Caribbean and Central and South America.
- C. v. ternominatus lives in the West Indies.
- C. v. peruvianus lives from Ecuador south to northwestern Chile.
I’ve met Killdeer in many western locations, but the images in my collection are from California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, south Saskatchewan, and Texas. I’ve captured birds foraging, birds in flight, birds with babies, eggs in situ, eggs in museums, and birds just complaining that I was in the area.
50 Photos
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Shorebirds find this reserve as attractive as do the waterfowl. Merced NWR, south of Merced, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:27 13:21 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X4891-Killdeer |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Merced NWR, south of Merced, California USA 2011-12-27. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:27 13:21 |
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Location:
Tijuana River Mouth |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X4894-Killdeer |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Gravel beds at the base of the rocky cliffs hosted Killdeer and Horned Larks. Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area south of Meridian Idaho. |
Date Taken: 2015:06:01 11:50 |
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Location:
Birds of Prey NCA |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X6816-Killdeer |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Location is the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, south of Klamath Falls Oregon in California USA 2016-05-05. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:05 11:32 |
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Location:
Lower Klamath NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D720462-Killdeer |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Location is the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, south of Klamath Falls Oregon in California USA 2016-05-05. |
Date Taken: 2016:05:05 11:32 |
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Location:
Lower Klamath NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D720473-Killdeer |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Vendel Road at Unit #1 in the Salton Sea NWR in Imperial County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:03:28 15:31 |
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Location:
Vendel Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1600 |
File Name: D727684-Killdeer |
| © 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Sorrento Valley, San Diego County, California USA 2010-07-23. |
Date Taken: 2010:07:23 12:37 |
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Location:
Sorrento |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/800 |
File Name: JCD2807.Killdeer |
| © 2010 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) 2008 BioBlitz day in Balboa Park. San Diego, California USA 2008-05-03. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:03 13:18 |
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Location:
Tijuana River Mouth |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD4938KillDeer |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, www.shadetree-imaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Upper Owens River Valley, near Lake Crowley. Mono County, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:05:29 9:03 |
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Location:
Whitmore Hot Springs |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: JCD8460-Killdeer |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:09:19 12:41 |
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Location:
Bosque del Apache NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: JCD_1833Killdeer |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Dining on a large worm at Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:03:21 8:33 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X4414-Worm |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:03:21 8:40 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X4495 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:03:21 8:37 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X4470 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: The mouth of the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2014:09:23 11:35 |
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Location:
San Luis Rey Rivermouth |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X0283-Killdeer |
| © 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Vendel Road is also known as Unit #1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. It occupies the agricultural and marsh lands at the southern tip of the Salton Sea near Westmorland in Imperial County. |
Date Taken: 2019:10:28 15:07 |
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Location:
Vendel Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X6781-VendelRoad-SaltonSea |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:31 |
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Location:
Malheur NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X9245-MalheurNWR |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: This is my all-time favorite Killdeer image. Malheur NWR is in southeastern Oregon, west of Steens Mountains and south of Burns Oregon. Harney County. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:30 12:31 |
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Location:
Narrows |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X9249-MalheurNWR |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Flying over the slough on South San Diego Bay at 7th Street in Imperial Beach California, San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2019:09:06 8:08 |
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Location:
7th Street |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X78077thStreetSlough |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Lindo Lake. Lakeside, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:08:01 9:38 |
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Location:
Lindo Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X4176-Killdeer |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Osprey Overlook at Laguna Atascosa provided meets with birds like these Killdeer. Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge on the South Texas Coast. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:20 13:50 |
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Location:
Laguna Atscosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D506526-LagunaAtascosa |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Osprey Overlook at Laguna Atascosa provided meets with birds like these Killdeer. Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge on the South Texas Coast. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:20 13:50 |
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Location:
Laguna Atscosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D506553-LagunaAtascosa |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Osprey Overlook at Laguna Atascosa provided meets with birds like these Killdeer. Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge on the South Texas Coast. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:20 13:50 |
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Location:
Laguna Atscosa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D506558-LagunaAtascosa |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Probably hatched today. Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California USA 2009-05-20. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:20 11:11 |
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Location:
Imperial Beach |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD9363.KillDeer.Chick_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadetree-imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: The chicks begin moving to a location the parent seemed to be directing them with vocal commands. Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:49 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0528-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:47 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0463-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:46 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0435-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:45 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: KilldeerParentChick_D5X0408-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: (Charadrius vociferus) Saltworks at South San Diego Bay NWR. San Diego County, California USA 2009-05-20. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:20 9:57 |
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Location:
Tijuana River Mouth |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD8833.KillDeer.Egg_ |
| Charadrius vociferus |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Tijuana River Estuary. Near extreme South West San Diego County, California USA 2009-06-11. |
Date Taken: 2009:06:11 10:55 |
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Location:
Border Field |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD3810.KillDeer.Nest_.Egg_ |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadetree-imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Part of the collection at the Western Foundation of Vertibrate Zoology in Camarillo, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:11:01 11:45 |
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Location:
W. Fdn. of Vertibrate Zoology |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 105 mm, f/8.0, 1/3 |
File Name: Killdeer_D3X4408-Eggs |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Killdeer are found at the preserve, I suspect year-round. It was a lovely day at the Gilbert Water Ranch. The weather was mild, and the winds were calm. Gilbert is in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:11:11 15:21 |
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Location:
Gilbert Water Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X9838-GilbertWaterRanch |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Standing water under the dormant trees by the pond seemed a good place for this Killdeer to forage. Precisely halfway between Albuquerque and Bosque del Apache is the state reserve at Ladd S. Gordon’s Bernardo Unit, where cranes and geese are now visiting more than at Bosque. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:18 15:05 |
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Location:
Bernardo |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X8813-Bernardo_Unit |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Standing water under the dormant trees by the pond seemed a good place for this Killdeer to forage. Precisely halfway between Albuquerque and Bosque del Apache is the state reserve at Ladd S. Gordon’s Bernardo Unit, where cranes and geese are now visiting more than at Bosque. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:18 14:56 |
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Location:
Bernardo |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X8782-Bernardo_Unit |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: I met this Double-Banded Plover (i.e. Killdeer) on the shore of the Flight Deck Pond. The world famous Bosque del Apache may not be the center of the geese and crane universe today that it once was, but it can still provide a few thrills. A tour on this Tuesday in December taught me this lesson. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:22 11:10 |
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Location:
Bosque del Apache NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X0079-BosqueDelApache |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: These “double-banded plovers” stood guard at the road’s edge. I broke camp at High Island early Monday and set a course for nearby Anahuac National Wildlife Reserve. There are several roads to explore there, but I chose the loop around Shoveler Pond. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:08 9:31 |
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Location:
Anahuac NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X0526-Anahuac_NWR |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: I found Killdeer breeding at the park during my visit. I spent five nights at Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan to complete my two-month tour of Canada in the spring of 2022. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:12 10:30 |
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Location:
Grasslands National Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/8000 |
File Name: Killdeer_8500949-Grasslands.NP-SK |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: During my two-day stay in Cody Wyoming, I paid two visits to nearby Alkali Lake and enjoyed the waterfowl, shorebirds, and gulls I met there. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:16 9:55 |
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Location:
Alkali Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_8501103-Cody-AlkaliLake |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: I enjoyed meeting this Killdeer along the Snake River at Schwabacher Landing. He was joined by mobs of Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:10 16:36 |
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Location:
Schwabacher Landing |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: Killdeer_8509801-SchwabacherLanding |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Malheur NWR has been one of my favorite Oregon birding destinations since I found my way there in December 2003. Despite the lowest water levels I’ve seen in Marshall Pond at the refuge’s visitor center, There were still some good meetings with birds such as these Killdeer. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:25 9:10 |
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Location:
Malheur NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: Killdeer_8504768-MalheurNWR |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Standing water under the dormant trees by the pond seemed a good place for this Killdeer to forage. Precisely halfway between Albuquerque and Bosque del Apache is the state reserve at Ladd S. Gordon’s Bernardo Unit, where cranes and geese are now visiting more than at Bosque. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:18 14:54 |
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Location:
Bernardo |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X8720-Bernardo_Unit |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Seen west of El Centro in the Imperial Valley in southern California. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:19 11:13 |
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Location:
Mount Signal |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: Killdeer-_D5X4984 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:03:21 8:29 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X4388 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Parent and new chick at the South San Diego Bay Saltworks in Chula Vista California. Part of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. |
Date Taken: 2017:05:17 8:25 |
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Location:
Saltworks |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 450 mm, f/7.1, 1/2500 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X1160-Chick |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Comminity Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:03:21 8:18 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/16.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X4315 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Killdeer parent giving vocal commands to the chicks. Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:48 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: KilldeerParent_D5X0501-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: The parent Killdeer has started giving the command to assemble the troops and sit tight. Notice the head tilting of the chicks. Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:48 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0489-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:45 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0411-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve in Henderson Nevada is comprised of nine ponds owned by the city's Waste Water Treatment Facility, but managed by nature lovers. It is the premiere birding location in southern Nevada. |
Date Taken: 2017:08:13 6:54 |
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Location:
Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/3200 |
File Name: Killdeer_D5X2386-Henderson-BVP |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: Killdeer parent giving vocal commands to the chicks. Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:45 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: KilldeerParent_D5X0424-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus) |
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Description: The chicks begin moving to a location the parent seemed to be directing them with vocal commands. Poway Community Park, San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:22 9:50 |
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Location:
Poway Community Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: KilldeerChicks_D5X0535-PowayCommunityPark |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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