Lake Murray Killdeer Territory Map

I kinda didn't want to do a territory map based on my observations of the killdeer in that area, but I was afraid that I would be confusing people with my descriptions of what was going on. I was afraid that people, with knowledge of the area, will do harm to the chicks or eggs, especially those that don't like killdeer or don't like their noises. I want to keep knowledge of the locations of nests to as few people as I can because the more people who know about it, the more likely someone will hurt these birds or their chicks either by accident or on purpose. The whole lake is heavily used at this time of year and I didn't need any more people trouncing through the brush crushing eggs or chicks.

But, I think it would be a good thing for education and helpful to those studying killdeer breeding behavior. Territories can and will change from year to year and not all males in this area will breed or have successful nests this year. (You can see in my last post that only one female seems to be in the area.).

Here is a generalized map of the territories. If you click on the link, you will see the map as well as the legend. I also have the map posted at the bottom of the blog at all times.

Killdeer Territory Map, Lake Murray Spring/Summer 2010

Note: If I find any nests that look vulnerable to human interference or predation, I will be taking the territory map down until all chicks have hatched and matured enough to be able to get away or hide.