PITTSVILLE, Md. -- A family of Killdeer birds has found a home at the Pittsville Playground, leading one section to be temporarily closed off. The bird is protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act.
At first, the temporary orange fencing inspired wonder.
"I thought it might be one of those like turtles laying eggs," said Brandon Landreth. "But then I realized it wasn't near the water or anything, so that kind of, I kind of forgot about that idea."
It then became apparent that it was a Killdeer causing all of the fuss, which led to some suspicion.
"I was a little skeptical at first I'm like there's bird everywhere, there's nests everywhere," said Jack Flower.
But then people learned the bird was protected under U.S. law.
"Once I found out that little guy was back there, I thought it was pretty cool," said Flower.
When the Killdeer decided to make a home in the park and lay eggs, the only thing the town could do was put up a fence. It has given some neighborhood kids a chance to get a nature lesson from afar.
"When the mom was going to get food when the babies like hatched, or for them the parents, I saw the dad take over," said Aliyah. "It was really cool to see how nature worked."
What we presume to be the mom bird didn't move much on Tuesday, keeping a watchful eye on her soon-to-be hatchlings. The father bird did make an appearance, and it was a noisy one at that.
Sensing all of the people huddled around, he sang out in the Killdeer's distinct tune.
"Lets just hope that the bird will keep safe and the babies will hatch well," said Aliyah.
The town has to leave the bird alone until it decides to move on, so part of the playground will likely be closed for the next four to five weeks. The rest of the playground remains open.