The spotted sandpipers are getting ready to migrate

Bob1 and Bob2 have been shedding their winter plumage and are all spotted now. They should be leaving Lake Murray around Memorial day if not sooner. But, they'll be back this fall. They're usually the first migrants to show up in the winter.

Here is a photo of Bob1:



The killdeer chicks were not being co-operative with me, so I couldn't get a good photo. Spike and Squiggy, the two bigger chicks were being cute and running around. But, they are about as fast as their parents now and have become more predator aware, so they quickly hide if they see me coming their direction. Castor and Pollux, the two smaller chicks, stayed out of the open area, but could be heard. They're still quiet voiced, but have gotten a little louder. Mom constantly chatted with her chicks.

It was hot the last few days, I sure hope mom and dad killdeer and leading them to water during these days as the chicks don't know any better and won't go to the water on their own. But, I think they get most of their water from their food.

A couple of crows were there and didn't seem very interested in the killdeer chicks or didn't notice them:



When I sat down, Dad came over and talked to me a little bit:




Ducklings:

No ducklings at all were seen this day. It was very warm and I suspect that they were all keeping cool with their moms somewhere.

The heron chicks are just about ready to fledge, too.

More ducklings and killdeer chicks

I saw at least 20 more new ducklings yesterday. All of them passed under the heron's nest. One family had 8 ducklings and looked like it was headed by Caramel, one of the "fish food ducklings" from last year. Her ducklings look like they're a few days old:



The other mom hung around the heron's nest and the Canada gander who wasn't being nice, but wasn't as aggressive because those two Chinese ganders were keeping him in check. She had 12 ducklings and was trying to leave the area, but people and the gander were making it hard. I had to leave before knowing if she made it past that area or not. I think she might be Caramel's sister, Butterscotch or Peaches:



Some of the ducklings fell asleep in the water and just floated around while sleeping:



Bottoms up! A few of the ducklings were already good divers and dabblers!



Across the lake, the killdeer chicks were in the ballfields with all the crows and cars! I only saw the two largest chicks. I thought I heard the two smaller chicks nearby in the brush, but it was hard to hear because there were 6 adult killdeer and music going from a fun run nearby. And, the two that were missing were the "quiet chicks", so they don't have loud calls.





One minute, they were there, next minute, they were gone. They're very fast and one was aggressive towards birds twice his size. I'm going to name him Spike when he gets bigger. Mom made sure to talk to me a little while I was there.


She's being a good mom compared to last time. I wonder if it's because she has all boys this time.

Still no sign of Oreo. Plus, her "posse" was also not seen yesterday. Someone said he spotted her in a weird place where I've never seen her. I didn't believe him at first, but I have been noticing that all the ducks are moving away from their usual spots, so it could be true.

The last little duckling and some stolen ducklings

There is only one duckling left of the original 11 that is still with the mama. My favorite, yellowish one and the one that was sick the last time I saw it, have passed on. Both of them seemed tired and sluggish when I last saw them. I think the mom wasn't getting them out of the water enough and they either drowned or weren't strong enough to get away from predators. This one was resting all morning. I hope he makes it.

Keeping warm under mom

But, on the positive side, I found five of the six stolen ducklings all kidnapped by Ducky's mom. They seem a little on the small side, but I'm sure these are them as they have some of the same markings of the ones that disappeared. I didn't get any real good pictures today to confirm it 100%, but I'm pretty positive that these are the tired duckling's siblings:



And, here's four of the ten that the Canada gander tried to kill last Saturday. They're doing well, though a seagull tried to get them and they were hanging out right under the herons' nest. There is also one extremely disobedient duckling in this group that might not make it if it doesn't straighten up:



Killdeers

All four of the Beautiful Dad's male chicks are doing great and are very adventurous. I was able to walk up on them because they wandered out of mom and dad's sight. At first, I didn't even think their parents were around, which isn't unusual for chicks this age. But, the parents finally saw me and got upset. Then, the chicks went and hid. Unlike the last time, the parents weren't as calm as they were that day and I couldn't take my time taking photos.



Mom gives me a dirty look:



Some of the little chickies:





The Cooper's hawk was hunting right above them and grackles were chasing each other around only a few feet from the chicks. It's amazing that they're still around.


Oreo

Oreo is still missing. Her posse is waiting for her in this one area where she was hanging out for the last couple of weeks. At one time, it appeared that her friends were "chatting" with someone through the reeds. Even Bigboi is hanging out more in this area. Hopefully, she is in there somewhere on a nest. I remember seeing some black and white feathers around, but I can't tell if it's hers.

Killdeer George's 2010 family review

Here is a Youtube slideshow that shows George's family in progress for 2010:

Early photo of "Junior" (Little Male)

Since it's been a long time since I first started observing the killdeer at Lake Murray and Padre Point, I started looking back at the first photos I took way back in April of the "Little Male" who was chasing around an invading couple on Padre Point. Well, from reviewing the photos, the "invading couple" is now determined to be George and Martha, possibly his parents. Mary may be either Junior's sister or a second mate to George. She visits periodically and neither George or Junior have ever shown any interest in mating with her even though Junior was available as a mate and ended up choosing another female.

So, here's an early photo of "Junior" or the "Little Male" taken with my 50mm at an estimated six to seven weeks of age. It's small because I was using a wide angle and had to crop it down.

Even at an early age, Junior (Little Male) engaged in territorial defense

Junior has been "missing" since July 4th after mating and leaving. His chicks are due to hatch next week.

George is calmer, also more wood ducks

George on Patrol

George the killdeer seems to have calmed down a bit, especially when I walk away from an area where his chicks could be hiding or where Martha may have a nest (Martha and Mary weren't seen). It could also be because his chicks are three weeks old today. They should be fully feathered and regulating their own temperature. They should also be able to run very fast and should be safe from predators if they're still alive. I saw no sign of any new nest anywhere, but I never saw the old one to begin with, so that doesn't mean that there isn't any new nest.

George was probably calmer in the earlier part of the morning because he had just finished visiting his mate/chicks. When I passed through a couple of hours later, he was more nervous, probably not having seen them for a while and not knowing exactly where they are. But, overall, he was calmer than he has been for the last few weeks.

Across the lake, I can hear no signs of Digger and her dad anywhere in the closed off area where I can't go. I don't know if they're still there. It's possible that with no people coming over there that Dad has calmed down and is less worried about humans across the lake where I was. I *thought* I head a little peep from over there in response to several killdeer calling on my side of the lake. Perhaps it was Digger wanting to join in all the fun, but can't because she doesn't fly, yet. She should begin practicing her flying later this week. However, she won't be able to fly across the bays of the lake for a few more weeks after initially flying. So, unless they open up that part of the road, I still won't see her for a while.

A white heron landed over where I last saw that family and was seen running really fast along the shoreline, but he may have been trying to escape the ducks and coots who might have given him the territorial shove. It's unlikely that he caught Digger or her sister as they would be too fast for him and disappear under the brush before he could even think about catching them..

I saw some more wood ducks, but, unfortunately, my camera settings were accidentally set wrong and most of the photos came out fuzzy. I did salvage a few, even though fuzzy, so that their colors could be seen. Sorry for the blurriness.

Martha and George may be "starting over"

George and Martha appear to be mating again

It appears that Martha and George are in breeding mode again. This may indicate that Tiny, Firecracker and Killer are no longer around. Martha will probably lay her new clutch of eggs on Sunday and those three chicks will only be three weeks old. They still need their parents as they can't fly and must rely on their cues to hide. I am particularly sad because I saved Tiny from being eaten from ants or getting sick from ant bites only to have him die later that night, probably. But, there's still hope. 18-19 day old killdeer chicks are very independent and don't always need their parents around all the time.

On the plus side, the lake level is only a few feet from normal. That means that the chicks will have less open area to travel on to get to food and water. They can hide much easier and it's possible that I may never see the new chicks or be able to follow or find them as I used to. And, it will be much harder for them to travel all the way over to where I saw the last brood, especially for very young chicks. They will more likely stay on Padre Point until they can fly or until they're at least a few weeks old. The open pipe to the area where I last saw them, possibly making it easy for a predator to prowl that area, is also now filled with water. But, I am hoping that the parents won't make the mistake of bringing their chicks through there again. If I see the new brood heading over there, I will catch and take them to wildlife rescue, or return them back to Padre Point.

Here's to hoping that those chicks are OK and will be seen in a couple of weeks. If not, those three will always be in my heart.

Across the lake, the M6 dad did not react when I walked over on other side of Del Cerro Bay. This may be due to the refilling of the lake and an expanded distance. I did see a killdeer fly from over there to my side of the lake and land nearby. I think it might be the mom and she might have a new nest where I was standing in the brush. However, when one of the workers near the M6 nesting area went back to his truck, parked nearby, I thought I heard a call coming from an area where the dad couldn't see me. So, he may be there protecting his little girl(s). It was hard to tell because of all the ducks quacking around me, ha ha.

So far, I don't see anything that the workers over there are doing that would harm the family. Also, the area is closed to fishermen and dog-walkers and the "coyote gate" is closed making it a little harder for coyotes to hunt by the lake shore (of course coyotes are good diggers and fence jumpers, but this will make hunting the chicks a little harder and possibly less "worth it").

I hope they open that area in the next week or two as I want to get a photo of Digger's breast band so that I can identify her later on when she leaves the area. At 18-19 days old, she is likely molting and beginning to show some adult feathers. In about another week, she should be fully feathered with her adult feathers and may even be starting to fly. She should definitely be flying in about 10 days and will be about the size of a sanderling, or about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of her dad. If everything is safe where the killdeer family is at, she and her sister (if still around) may hang around that area for another month as she won't be full-size until at least that time.

Also seen today at the lake were three wood ducks. Here's a photo of two of them.

Some wood ducks I saw today

M6 chick update

I went to check the M6 area one more time because it will closed for construction starting next Monday. I wanted to make sure there were no longer any chicks there or if any of the chicks would be in danger.

I noticed the male seemed to be protecting the area that was pointed out to me yesterday as the place where the nest originally was. So, I started there. I found the male and at least one other killdeer in that area. A third killdeer flew by and the second killdeer went off into the air and did evasive maneuvers while being chased by the third one. Both of those killdeer did not return, but Dad killdeer was still there.

I walked around the area and noticed he got very excited when I walked around some of the bushes. I thought that he might have already started a new nest, but saw none. Then, I sat down and waited. Soon, I hear the DEFINITE sound of a baby killdeer calling back, possibly two, though the other sounded much weaker. I went to the place where I thought I heard the sound and looked around, being careful where I stepped. I looked around this one big bush, but was afraid to step in any further because I knew one of the chicks like to dig under the leaves and was afraid of stepping on her. So, I went back and sat down.

I waited a while and listened to Dad call and for a long time, I didn't hear a response. I was worried that I had stepped on her. I moved further away and, finally, she started calling again. He continued to call and sometimes I would hear a response, sometimes I wouldn't. Dad was definitely responding to the call and sat down nearby, possibly offering a spot under his wing for his daughter(s). But, it was hot, so she (they) didn't come out of her (their) hiding places. Sometimes, the little chick will call back for several seconds.

Dad responds to his chick(s) calling him

Dad sat a little bit away and did very weak "broken wing acts", but not with a lot of enthusiasm. Then, he went back to the area where I heard the chick call. I left after that and it all got quiet.

I think that the little chick that likes to bury herself has survived and possibly her sister may have, too. I don't think there are three anymore, but I am sure there's one. I may name her Digger even though I really don't like that name too much, but it's the only one I can think of right now. I thought about naming her Firecracker, but that was the name I was going to give to the other chick across the lake.

Is Digger a good name for this 11-12 day old chick?

Dear killdeer chicks in killdeer heaven:

**update** This was written when I thought that George's chicks were dead, but it turned out they weren't. However, I thought I would keep this on my blog for anyone else dealing with the sadness and disappointment of losing killdeer chicks they've been enjoying.


Dear Killdeer Chicks in Killdeer Heaven:

I'm sorry that your parents led you to an area where you were in danger. I was really worried about you that day and tried to think of a way to help. But, I trusted your parents to do what's best for you. Afterall, they're raised babies before and I felt that they knew what to do. I was going to check on you the night before you died just to make sure you were OK because I know there were a lot of people around and I didn't want any harm to come to you because of us humans. But, I figured that your parents would take good care of you, so I decided not to. Afterall, I saw you every morning and made you hide all the time. I thought you should have time away from me in peace.

I wish I did come to see you so I could see you one more time. I don't know if it would have helped you live one more day or not. I don't know what got you and if me checking on you would have kept it away or made it come closer. Or, if my presence there would have made your parents think twice about bringing you there and take you back to a safer area. I don't know what made your parents leave that area where you were hatched. I did notice the grackles eying you over there, but you could have hidden in the area with the reeds and would have been fine.

I will do everything I can to make sure your new brothers and sisters will not fall into the same fate. Hopefully, I will be able to see each one every day in case I need to move them away from that bad area, if possible, or call someone to help you. I'm hoping that your parents will not make the same mistake twice. I don't want to get involved in the killdeer life, just observe and admire. Your kind has their own life with their own problems and I need to stay out of it. I only want to help if there's a human causing a problem with killdeer or something a human did cause you to do something harmful to yourselves (such as the lake water being lowered).

Hopefully you are at peace and did not suffer in your final moments. I enjoyed your week of life and hope you did, too. I miss you very much.

Your human friend,

D.

Chicks-Day 7, chicks missing, parents acting "weird"

When I first arrived, I saw both Mom and Dad killdeer in M2's territory without sight of any chicks. It's unusal to see them together with no chicks, but not unusual for Dad to be there all alone. I thought I heard at least one chick response to their calls, but it could have been a phoebe. Dad was acting like he was hiding something over by some rocks and brush, but I saw nothing over there. Meanwhile, Mom slipped over to where the chicks originally hatched and began doing alarm calls.

I went over to the "hatching" area and mom constantly did alarm calls and flew outside the area and across the road, doing alarm calls there. I walked about every inch of that area as well as every other area where I last saw the chicks and/or the parents in the past and saw no sign of the chicks. Mom pretty much followed me the whole time, doing alarm calls. I thought I heard at least one or two chicks respond, but it's hard to tell when there are phoebes in the area and they often sound like the chicks, too.

Mom did this all by herself, constantly making calls the whole time someone was in any of the areas where the chicks have been seen in the last week. Dad did not join in or come to her aid. She did not do any broken wings acts, trilling, or anything else that would indicate that I had ever gotten close to any of the chicks. I left without seeing any trace of them.

Since the chicks have reached a week old, an important milestone, this change in behavior may be completely normal. The chicks know the area and what to eat, they know what to do if a human approaches them on foot and they probably know that we can't find them in the brush. Also, they probably can better regulate their temperature, so they don't need mom or dad's warmth as much as they used to. So, now, they're allowed to roam around on their own with only one parent to watch out for possible predators.

However, they are still extremely small I am having trouble believing that their parents would just leave them like that. It's also possible that all three chicks have died/disappeared/were stolen by people and the parents have no idea where they are anymore. Or, it could be that the parents know exactly where each chick is and deliberately hide them in the morning and do alarm calls to warn the chicks to stay hidden. I've noticed that was how they protected their nest. They would do alarm calls every time a person got within sight of the nest and not exactly where the nest was at, but anywhere around there. If this is the case, it will be very difficult for me to find the chicks again until they're almost grown.

It would be hard to believe that all three chicks, making it through the toughest part of their life, would suddenly be eaten or disappear in less than 24 hours. I do think, though, that the parents will become less and less protective of the chicks during the next week and a half. By two and a half weeks, the chicks may be totally on their own with a parent keeping one eye out for them, but not constantly staying in the area.

If I don't see them again, at least I've enjoyed their first week of life, but I'm holding out hope that they will be seen again when they're older.

**Afternoon update**. I looked again in the late afternoon, a time I rarely ever visit this area. At first, no sign of any killdeer could be seen, though one was heard in the area where I last saw the chicks doing alarm calls when someone walked by. Later, I saw Dad killdeer fly over to his feeding area where he called a couple of times and became quiet. As I left, I thought I heard him doing alarm calls close to the fenced off area, but could not be sure.

There are two other killdeer couples over there as well. No sign of the chicks or Mom killdeer at all. It's entirely possible that they chicks were successfully brought over through the fenced off area and are living there totally out of reach. But, it's highly unlikely as there are still way too many predators in that area. Will try again tomorrow morning, early. I will also be attempting to check out the other killdeer on the other side of the lake, too. A new construction project is due to begin there and I want to make sure the baby killdeer will not have issues as they will be tearing out trees and other plants there.