An Afternoon at Starkey: I'm Dying Over Here

I visited the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range today to learn about the world-class wildlife research that will be coming my way before long. Starkey is known around the world for their research on elk, deer, and cattle and how they interact. While most of the research focuses on the ecology and behavior of wild elk and deer, they do have a research herd.



Near the corrals, they also had a killdeer and her nest with 4 eggs.
Killdeer build their nests on the surface of the ground, often in open rocky areas like this one. If you approach, the mother will try and lure you away from the nest by feigning a broken wing: "I'm wounded, come and eat me. Hey you, I'm dying over here, come OVER HERE and eat me." Of course, if you go over there, she flys away and leaves you, mouth watering for a delicious killdeer...











Here she is in action: