Listening to a Continent Sing

In a parking lot beside Lake Anna, a killdeer eyes me, watching. Does it have a nest nearby? Can I induce one of those out-of-this-world distraction displays from it?

Over the gravel, I walk toward it, flushing it, eliciting a series of calls as it flies off a short distance. Menacing presence that I am, it flushes again, calling in the same fashion, dee-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit ki-dee ki-dee ki-dee.

Alas, I surmise that there's no nest here, as the killdeer does nothing more than call.

Background

A northern mockingbird, red-eyed vireo.

Photo by John Van de Graaff