Who plays second base on the sandy baseball diamond at Redden State Forest? The forest crew routinely cares for the rustic field. It has a sturdy backstop. The outfield grass is cut short, and the baseline is well maintained. The field seems to go unused from season to season. Or does it? On my lucky day, standing boldly on second base, oblivious to my drive-by gawking, was a shorebird! A Delmarva native with a focused eye under a dark cap, shrieking, “Kill-dee, kill-dee, kill-dee.”

You don’t need to visit the beach to hear the distinct, high-pitched call of the robin-sized killdeer. Once described as the “noisy plover” or “chattering plover,” it is most often heard before it is seen. Its current moniker is an example of onomatopoeia, Greek for “imitation of sound.” Mutual surprise puts the bird in flight and startles me! Close to the ground, this bird species is well camouflaged. Its dark-brown wings, sienna rump and dark tail allow it to blend unseen into a field, park, playground or gravel driveway. Standing, the killdeer presents two bold black bands on a white breast. Look for the quick, jerky, stop-and-go movements that are typical of birds in the plover family.

Most shorebird species, including killdeer, have long, pointed wings to support long-distance flight during seasonal migrations. The wingspan of this largest North American plover is almost 24 inches from tip to tip. While some killdeer do migrate, many are year-round residents in the southern U.S. This species is found from coast to coast and is considered a habitat generalist because it utilizes a broad range of resources. Welcome to our wild and suburban neighborhoods!

You might find this bird in a pasture, mud flat, lawn or empty parking lot. It searches for a habitat with short vegetation, ideally under one inch, for feeding and nesting. As ground foragers, killdeer consume a wide variety of insects (75% of their diet), snails, spiders, ticks, crayfish and marine crustaceans. Have you ever seen a killdeer in a farm field? It will create vibrations in the dirt or mud with its feet that bring earthworms and grubs to the surface; this is called "foot trembling." Killdeer have a run, stop and stab technique that is very effective for catching beetles and grasshoppers, too.

A successful nest site will be remembered. A typical killdeer pair has site fidelity and returns each year to perform the ritual scrape ceremony. As far as nest building goes, the shallow depression on the ground is very minimalist; the beauty is in the performance. The male walks to a site, maybe looking over his shoulder, kicks a little sand out with his feet and sits breast forward in the pit. He quickly gets out of the scrape and calls to the female while showing off his reddish-brown fan tail. The female seems interested and casually walks over. She looks at the male, sits in the depression and snuggles in. Add a pebble or two for general upkeep and comfort, and the construction is complete.

Motionless, a killdeer is on high alert for weather changes and predators. Incubating and protecting a clutch of four brown-speckled eggs is a cooperative effort between the pair. The ideal temperature (98.6 F) for chick development is monitored closely. During hot spells, a killdeer will “belly-soak” (yes, it’s a technical term) its feathers with water to cool the eggs. Potential nest raiders include raccoons, opossum and fox. Ground-nesting birds living in the suburbs also encounter dogs, cats and lawn mowers.

Killdeer are famous for their dramatic distraction displays. To draw a predator away from the area, a bird will skillfully fake a broken wing and whine, dragging the wing on the ground while moving away from the nest site. For bigger interlopers, such as a horse that might crush a nest, a plover is small but mighty! Like a brave knight, it will stand erect, puff up its feathers, fan and vibrate its wide tail, and charge toward the invader while screeching.

The precocial killdeer chicks emerge from their eggs ready to go, with eyes wide open, downy feathers and strong legs. Using vocal warnings and cues, the adult pair continue to keep the family unit together as the chicks rest, feed and grow. In July, after just two short months, I expect the next generation of killdeer to take flight on strong wings, announcing their presence in a powerful voice.  After all, their Latin nomenclature is "Charadrius vociferus."