Killdeer Eggs Are Gone

The killdeer eggs that the Ustream killdeer camera in Wisconsin were broadcasting on are gone and the camera is now down. Last night, mom and dad were acting differently and many people thought that meant that the chicks had actually hatched after waiting 34 days. But, they did not. Before settling down for the night, I could see that the male was sitting on the nest and he was doing the typical territorial call "kill-dee" "kill-dee" over and over again (I couldn't hear him, but could see the motions that looked like he was calling). This may have been a sign that they were getting ready to breed again. Either that or another male was eying their patch of rocks. I checked on them well after dark and it looked like the male was still on the nest, though it was dark and hard to see.

This morning, when I got up, all three eggs were completely gone. I knew that they didn't hatch as they were way overdue, but wondered if they got pushed out. Later, the stream owner, Pkonopa, found a half an egg about 15 feet away with an almost developed chick inside, untouched. It appeared that a predator had gotten to the eggs. However, the nest looked pretty much undisturbed with even the pine needles pretty much still in their place. It's entirely possible that the parents had pushed the eggs away from the nest and a predator got them later. The parents never returned to the nest that day.

I am hoping that they will choose that same patch of rocks to breed again as the stream owner can only set up a camera from his office. He/she said there are always killdeer around, but he/she couldn't tell if the parents were nearby. I've heard reports of killdeer having a destroyed nest and then laying another clutch nearby a week later, so that's what I am hoping for.

It appears that the wet and cold weather about two weeks ago might have killed the chicks while they were still in the egg. Those parents were so diligent and devoted to their nest that I am glad to see it's gone. Otherwise, I think they would have sat on them all summer and missed their chance to breed. Now, I am really hoping they will come back to that patch of rocks and try again. My hunch is that they will as there's a lot of food there and the eggs blend in well. Also, they were relatively undisturbed and seemed comfortable with nesting there.

Males during breeding season rarely leave their territory until the season is over. However, his territory can be large and he may just decide that a bunch of rocks near an office parking lot may not be as good as the short grass near the creek behind the building (of which I don't know is the case with this area as I haven't seen the entire grounds).

I hope I can see some kind of killdeer cam and see some chicks hatch and make it out of the nest, without getting hurt, soon.

Awww, Wisconsin Killdeers' Eggs Won't Hatch

I've been watching a killdeer nest in Greenville, Wisconsin on Ustream since they laid their eggs. These devoted parents sit on those eggs day and night through storms and everything, but they persevere. I don't think that they left the nest for anymore than a half hour at a time.

I think this was mom killdeer doing her nest duty

When there was a cold snap in the area, the birds sat on those eggs day and night without a break. They really didn't need to leave them, there were bugs all around their nest and they often ate them while sitting on the eggs. Lots of ants and flies all around, especially after the rain.

There were four eggs originally, the one on the bottom left was thrown out.

One day, a few days before the eggs were due to hatch, an egg was found five feet away from the nest. Now, you have to know this in order to see what a feat it was that the egg ended up there. The nest is in a bed of rocks near a sidewalk that is raised up. The egg had to have been pushed onto the sidewalk and rolled away. There was no damage to the egg at all, not a mark and no predator was seen. It happened around mid-morning on a day where it had been raining very hard with lots of wind. When the egg was finally discovered, it was already cold and probably non-viable. However, it most likely was fertile as it was heavy in weight. But, nothing could be seen when held up to a light.

Well, the eggs are on their 33rd or 34th day since they first began to brood them. I don't know what factor the cold weather may have played in the fact that they haven't hatched. I also wondered if maybe their development was slowed down by the cold weather and they still might actually hatch. The parents haven't given up and are diligently sitting on the eggs day and night. I will keep you updated.

Dad killdeer taking his part in parenting

I was going to name the chicks Spike, Killer, Bruiser and Lulu. Bruiser was the egg that was thrown out. I'll have to give those names to some other killdeer chicks. I was so hoping to see the chicks as I haven't seen any around my area this year (I would worry to death about them if I did see them in a place where the chicks could get hurt by people, so it's probably good that I haven't seen any yet).

Thanks to the stream owner, known as Pkonopa for posting this stream and providing still photos.

If you are curious, you can view the stream here, but I don't expect it to be up much longer unless the birds lay more eggs nearby.

*Update* Nest was found empty a few days after this post and a half an egg was found 15 feet away. The stream is down right now, but may go back up if the birds decide to nest near the office where the camera was. Will keep you posted.