September 30, 2007 - Feathered Deer Welcome to the Nature Notebook. You might notice an abundance of Killdeer in certain locations this time of year. Their “killdee killdeer” calls make them easy to recognize. Killdeer are one of the most common and widely distributed shorebirds in Pennsylvania. From August through October, Killdeer are making their way to the southern part of the country where they will spend the winter months. During migration stopovers, Killdeer frequent open areas with short grass such as golf courses, field edges, pastures or even plowed fields. They turn up on shorelines of ponds, lakes and rivers and  mudflats. As soon as the ground freezes, Killdeer move south and by mid-to late November, few remain behind. But come next March, these upland plovers with double black bands on their breasts, slender wings and long tail, will return to our area to nest and raise their young once again. This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.