M1 and F3 had chicks!

Running Chick at Lake Murray

I went to check on the aftermath that the 4th of July fireworks had on the birds at the lake. When I arrived, I found M1, M2 and both their mates missing. M2 has been missing for over a week and I assumed he was flying back and forth from Mission Trails where his mate was. But, I was wrong.

I went and checked on what I assumed was Little Male's breeding area as I could hear two killdeer screaming at people fishing on the shore. When I arrived there, I saw an adult killdeer and a chick running under the brush. The adults appeared to be M2 and possibly his mate, F3 whom I had witness breeding June 7th. I immediately searched for the chick, much to the dismay of the two adults there, but found none. So, I waited and listened. Every time the two adults would call, I would hear responses from four different directions. With even more patience, I saw both parents brood three separate chicks. I managed to get up and find the chicks in the locations that the adults were seen brooding them.

The chicks stayed very, very still and I was able to move branches around them to get a photo of the three. They appeared to be about ten to twelve hours old, which meant that they were born right in the middle of the 4th of July fireworks celebrations. I got my photos and backed off, hoping to find the fourth. People were beginning to notice all the noise. I hope I wasn't waking people up in the houses, but I think they were too far away to notice. I decided to leave them alone and come back later.

An hour or so later, I came back and the parents were still protective, but I saw no chicks at all. I went around to the bushes to see how the parents would react, but they didn't seem really excited and I saw no chicks. Then, I saw a lone chick get up and run several yards away and disappear. I didn't find any other chicks. I walked over to where the chick used to be and the parents went nuts, but still no other chicks. When the adults made their calls, I also heard no responses, possibly because they weren't in need of being kept warm at that time.

I will be posting a movie-slideshow later on. I may not be able to see these chicks again because, at twelve or thirteen hours old, they were already very adept at hiding and running.


Update on other killdeers:

Little Male and his mate was nowhere to be seen. However, I thought I saw a third adult stop by the area where M2 and F3 were raising their chicks, but it didn't stay. It's possible that was Little Male and he may be nesting nearby.

M4 was not at his home, but several killdeers were heard across a small bay that could have been him and the two ballpark killdeers who were absent from the ballpark when I first arrived. The male arrived back on the field as I was leaving. M4's territory was ground zero for the fireworks yesterday. I expect that he will be back in his territory within the next few days. I also expect to see Little Male sometime in the next week either at a nest or on his beach.

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.