not many of you can walk to the end of your street (like my daughter and I did last night) and see a town of prairie dogs???
Not the greatest photo but they are very wary of humans after the developer has tried to exterminate them several times. When we first moved here 9 years ago, you could get remarkably close before they dove into their burrows. Things have changed.
I also imagine most of you also don't have Killdeer as neighbors?? I could be wrong...
They have nested near my house every year since I moved in. Amazing considering all the dogs in the neighborhood etc. (although most are kept leashed).
When the young hatch, it's the cutest thing to watch them darting around the fields. Dart is the operative word here ~ they are so fast!
If you haven't guessed, I live on the edge of a development that was never completed. More housing was scheduled to fill in the fields behind and around my house but for various reasons has never happened. It's a little like living in the country but not really. I know it will be sad when it finally does build up (that seems inevitable) ~ wildlife like the killdeer & prairie dog that have lived here for so long, will disappear. Every year it stays the same, we are happy. With a lake on one side and fields on the other, the diversity provides some interesting inhabitants that we don't want to give up.
He is just adorable and the bird is beautiful. Bob had heard of a Killdeer, I hadn't. I thought the pictures were great!
Posted by: RainGardener | March 22, 2010 at 11:48 AM
I always rejoice whenever I see a Killdeer. I would sometimes see them on the golf courses I worked on. How wonderful that you can enjoy the native wildlife for at least a little while.
Posted by: Noelle (azplantlady) | March 22, 2010 at 12:33 PM
I have never seen a prairie dog but I do have killdeer in the fields around me.
I hope they never complete the development around you. I may face a similar situation. A developer here told me before the economy went into tailspin that I really better think about moving. He told me that late one night on a lonely lane leading to my farm. He wanted the property and he wanted me gone but he worded it in such a way that I couldn't file a complaint.
Marnie
Posted by: marnie | March 22, 2010 at 12:54 PM
I've seen prairie dogs, but never lived near them. We do have killdeer. Your photos are wonderful!
I hope to be posting about a beautiful red fox that was in my backyard last week... :-)
Happy Spring, Kathleen!
Posted by: Shady Gardener | March 22, 2010 at 03:44 PM
I've seen neither of these amazing critters...It will be different if the development starts up again~Let's cross fingers that it won't! gail
Posted by: Gail | March 22, 2010 at 04:32 PM
We have killdeer around here. Also lots of quail. It's interesting, the wildlife that can adjust to human interference, and those that can't.
Posted by: Victoria | March 22, 2010 at 06:21 PM
No Prairie Dogs here, but Killdeer do live in the neighborhood above our farm and occasionally come down here to feed. I've see their young before and they're so cute -- they look like they're dressed in little tuxedos.
Posted by: Sweet Bay | March 22, 2010 at 06:31 PM
How cool! I'd love to see prairie dogs and killdeer. My sister lives a mile from us, but close to a greenbelt and they see coyote and foxes occasionally in their neighborhood. I hope the land near year isn't developed for a long time so you can continue to enjoy the wildlife and so they don't get kicked out of their homes.
Posted by: Catherine | March 22, 2010 at 07:20 PM
Forgive me. It's been so long since I've been to your blog.
We live near a stymied development too. I blame it on the economy. Oh, blessed economy! LOL The city planners approve all these single family dwellings without improving the roads or schools and it just pisses me off. So I'm happy when developers have to sweat a little bit. Call me evil.
Your photos are amazing. We have killdeer in these parts. In fact several years ago Costco waited to develop the land for their store until a nest of killdeer eggs hatched and left the premises. Then the city and Costco named the access street Killdeer Avenue. It's kind of an endearing story.
Love your prairie dog photo. Now here's an animal I've never seen in person.
Posted by: Grace | March 22, 2010 at 11:39 PM
Kathleen, I just love your pictures. Isn't it nice to see signs a=of spring after this particularly snowy winter?? Here's a link to my new blog.
http://nansnappies.blogspot.com/2010/03/burp-cloths.html
Posted by: Nancy Anderson | March 23, 2010 at 07:16 AM
We do have Kildeers and groundhogs (we call them woodchucks) as neighbors! I was just watching the kildeers flying over the creek in the pasture by the house this morning. I love to hear their cry and yes, those baby chicks are so funny :)
Posted by: kerri | April 02, 2010 at 07:37 AM