Stone's Throw Farm

A few farm members saw the killdeer nest in the leeks last month, and you might have seen my photo of it on this blog:  three little eggs nestled in what must have seemed like a safe spot, since I hadn’t hoed or weeded the leeks in some time!  If you’re not familiar with killdeer, the birds protect their nests from potential predators by acting injured (easy targets) and calling out to attract attention to themselves, thereby distracting predators from the eggs.

So, while I transplanted broccoli and cauliflower, the killdeer called. While I weeded carrots and scallions, the killdeer called. While I hilled potatoes . . . harvested spinach . . . hoed onions . . . . I was actually almost dreading picking the peas this week because the birds were so loud and persistent. You can hear the “alarm call” on this website if you’d like to experience it yourself. (My cats now think there’s a bird under my laptop!)

On Friday, I was weeding nearby and the killdeer were going nuts. I reached over into the leeks to grab a weed, and saw a baby bird hunkered down in the dirt between rows. The killdeer had hatched! I decided to finish weeding another time (not that one is ever finished weeding). When I came back to the east edge of the field on Saturday, the birds were gone.

It’s a relief to have some peace and quiet, but on the other hand it feels like something’s missing in the field. I hope they’re doing okay.