There are those days when you hit the photographic jackpot.
Today was one of those days.
It was sunny this morning and so I decided to head over to one of our local urban birding spots to see if I could photograph any Spring migrants, like the yellow-rumped warbler or Black-headed grosbeak. I have been seeing many warblers, so I thought I would probably have good luck.
As I was parking, I noticed an adult Killdeer towards the passenger side of the car. I got out of the car slowly, went to the trunk and quietly got my camera gear ready. For me, this includes setting the aperture and shutter speed, so that I am able to shoot as soon as I step away from the car.
As I made my way around the driver's side of the car, I noticed a second Killdeer. I was thinking I need to ask my friend if the resident Killdeers on the roof of her office have laid a nest yet. Then, I noticed a very small movement.
Very small movement indeed! About 20 feet in front of me was the smallest, cutest, fluffiest little Killdeer. It could not have been more than 2 inches from the tip of its' beak to the end of it's tail. What made it even more lovely were the explosion of small pink wildflowers surrounding this little chick.
As I watched, I saw three chicks. Killdeers lay 3 - 5 eggs, so this pair is having success with their brood so far.
One of the chicks decided to venture out onto the nearby blacktop, before being encouraged to return the relative safety of the grasses by its' protective parent.
I watched the Killdeer family for about 45 minutes before I headed off for more birding. What a wonderful way to start my photographic day.
