Saturday's Critters #428

 Good morning friends...

A spin or two around Lake of the Lilies always provides some excitement and picture opportunities.

I saw a total of four Killdeer

these two appeared to be a couple.

Always staying close together, I read that they are often monogamous. 

Even though they may not necessarily mate for life, mated pairs form close bonds,

and remain together for the entire year, even when not breeding, or for several years after.

This one appeared to be sitting on a nest or eggs, and that seemed quite early in the season to me.

I read that they breed in spring, and can breed as early as March.

Killdeer don't really build nests, they often just lay their eggs in the middle of a grass field or lawn.

I observed both protecting this area, right behind the branch.

There were two on the other side of the lake, sitting in the overgrown grass, of course!

Neither moved so once again I have twenty two pictures that look just like this.

There was one group of about five or six Northern Shovelers...

none interested in having their picture taken.

This is a male.

This duck really stands out because of it's long, flattened bill.

Sexes are dissimilar, the female looks similar to a female mallard.

In flight the male shows a blue forewing panel and white bordered green speculum.

There is one Great Blue Heron that hangs out around the lake.

Most of the time it hides and on this day it was far off, center of the lake, out of the reach of my lens.

Still, I enjoy seeing it and the challenge of capturing one or two images of it, 

even if they are not very good.

- dear diary, i'll take sitting by a lake over shopping at the mall any day of the week -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters