{"id":2634,"date":"2011-07-04T07:46:18","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=2634"},"modified":"2025-05-24T12:15:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T17:15:41","slug":"killdeer-calling-in-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/07\/04\/killdeer-calling-in-habitat\/","title":{"rendered":"Killdeer Calling in Habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Killdeer\u00a0Calling – Nikon D200, f9, 1\/800, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 280mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

As a “Nature” photographer one of my goals is to\u00a0create\u00a0\u00a0images that show the bird or animal’s natural habitat within the frame\u00a0which is why the\u00a0photograph above is very appealing to me.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0enjoy the green hues of the of the vegetation combined with the drying seed heads of the grasses behind the Killdeer and the one little yellow area of out of focus flowers because they all give me an idea\u00a0about the location where the\u00a0picture was taken.<\/p>\n

I used f9 for my aperture because the Killdeer was fairly close and I wanted enough depth of field to get the entire bird sharp. I was fortunate that the grasses and other vegetation were several feet behind the bird or they would have been more in focus and might have competed visually\u00a0with the Killdeer.<\/p>\n

I dialed in some negative exposure compensation because the whites in the light I had could have easily been blown out,\u00a0 using just-0.3 EV controlled the whites well.<\/p>\n

I suspect that the\u00a0bird was calling because of an approaching motorcycle, just before the motorcycle got to the area the Killdeer took off.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Killdeer photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a “Nature” photographer one of my goals is to create images that show the bird or animal’s natural habitat within the frame <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,267,26],"tags":[4004,4072,4144,683,270,4094,5841,275,3975,274,2315,4095],"class_list":["post-2634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-killdeer","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-calling","tag-charadrius-vociferus","tag-habitat-2","tag-killdeer","tag-marsh","tag-plover","tag-plovers","tag-shorebird","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-summer-3","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-calling-utah-mia-mcpherson-4220.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-Gu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":115354,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/23\/kamas-valley-killdeer\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":0},"title":"Kamas Valley Killdeer","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, in the Kamas Valley in Summit County, Utah I was pleased to take Killdeer photos in a wet meadow with pink clovers and piles of cow manure.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Killdeer and clover in the Kamas Valley, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/killdeer-kamas-valley-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-7870.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/killdeer-kamas-valley-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-7870.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/killdeer-kamas-valley-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-7870.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/killdeer-kamas-valley-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-7870.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101068,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/27\/killdeer-in-spring-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":1},"title":"Killdeer In Spring At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was at Bear River MBR two days ago I stopped and took a long series of photos of three Killdeer near the entrance to the auto loop.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Preening adult Killdeer, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/killdeer-spring-refuge-mia-mcpherson-5378.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/killdeer-spring-refuge-mia-mcpherson-5378.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/killdeer-spring-refuge-mia-mcpherson-5378.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/killdeer-spring-refuge-mia-mcpherson-5378.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2447,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/06\/04\/killdeer-and-willets-territorial-disputes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":2},"title":"Killdeer and Willets – Territorial Disputes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the habits I have developed after becoming a serious bird photographer is observing and learning about bird behavior and the habitats","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Killdeer near nest on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-utah-mia-mcpherson-9832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-utah-mia-mcpherson-9832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-utah-mia-mcpherson-9832.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-utah-mia-mcpherson-9832.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38734,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/24\/breeding-season-for-killdeer-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":3},"title":"Breeding Season for Killdeer at Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It is breeding season for Killdeer at Bear River MBR and for all of Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Killdeer in breeding season, Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-mia-mcpherson-2203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-mia-mcpherson-2203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-mia-mcpherson-2203.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-mia-mcpherson-2203.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":124694,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/19\/close-up-killdeer-in-soft-morning-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":4},"title":"Close Up Killdeer In Soft Morning Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The first bird I photographed yesterday morning at Bear River MBR was this Killdeer in soft morning light. Truthfully, I am glad my first bird was a Killdeer.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Killdeer in soft morning light, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-early-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-0647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-early-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-0647.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-early-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-0647.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/killdeer-adult-early-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-0647.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112070,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/04\/05\/killdeer-in-a-spring-snowstorm\/","url_meta":{"origin":2634,"position":5},"title":"Killdeer In A Spring Snowstorm","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning, after blowing, shoveling, and scraping about nine to ten inches of snow, I went looking for birds and found a Killdeer in a spring snowstorm.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Killdeer standing in water during a snowstorm, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/killdeer-adult-april-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/killdeer-adult-april-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/killdeer-adult-april-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/killdeer-adult-april-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}