Killdeer Egg

This egg is in a gravel bed beside a Gadsden Mall parking area. When I parked near it to go check out a nearby heron rookery, I spotted a killdeer. I was quite close but the bird did not move which seemed odd because they don't usually let me get near them. I thought it might be sick or injured until I saw the egg. The bird had frozen hoping to remain camouflaged, but then it felt more threatened, began its broken wing routine, while running off, and calling anxiously hoping to lure me away. It kept up its attempts to distract me from its nest and would not return until I finally parked the car farther away. Gadsden, Alabama (IMG_4731)