Tiny sleeps in the ballfields

Today, I decided to visit the lake right before sunset. I saw Tiny in Alvarado Bay near some people feeding the ducks and the geese. I took some pictures of him before he got upset and started flying really, really high in the sky. He made deet calls all around Alvarado Bay before departing as if to tell his parents where he was going.

Tiny at Alvarado Bay

I watched as he flew very high then dropped down at the ballfields. I went over there and found him totally alone in an empty field. No other killdeer were around. He was out in the open and seemingly falling asleep. I watched for a while and saw no hawks, owls or anything else that would hurt him, though I still worried about him being all alone without a sentry to make alarm calls. But, I will be back tomorrow morning to check on him.

Going to bed in the ballfield

I'm glad he's going to the ballfield and socializing with the other killdeer, maybe he'll get together with Digger. I think the other killdeer probably showed up later, after dark, and kept him company.

Argument at the lake

Ballfield killdeer:

"Hey, I was eating there!" says the one on the right

OK, it wasn't really an argument, but rather three juvenile males fooling around. I originally thought it was a juvenile male attacking Shy and her dad defending her, but after looking at the photos, I could tell it was three male juveniles, including the Tiny look-a-like and the curious very young male (smallest of the three). The curious one was attacked by a slightly older male, possibly "Secret" and the bigger of the three came to his defense. They postured and called to each other while the smallest one moved away. Then, the two older males moved out of the ballfield and play-fought in an open grassy area.

"Fight, fight, fight!" Says the one on the right

The curious one stayed behind and went really close to an open gate. I think he is very interested in what people were doing. At one time, when I didn't have my camera, I got him to come really close to me. I went back to get my camera and someone else came on the field and he got too nervous. He moved away from me and didn't come back. I was glad that he moved away from the gate as I was afraid he was going to get too friendly with people. Not everyone likes killdeer or will be as kind to them as me, so I didn't want him to be too interested in getting near humans. Plus, some people let their dogs run around off leash outside the fields and I want him to be weary of that, too.

"Hmmm, what's going on here?" Curious young male

I saw this beautiful female in another field.

Pretty female

No one is using the one large eastern ballfield anymore. I thought it was because of the construction, but I think it might be because of hawks or a falcon scare. They're used to the hawk, but a falcon scares the wits out of them. They may be back there, later, if no hawks or falcons are seen in the area.

George and Martha's Family

Since I came in the late afternoon, I did not see any of George and Martha's family. It's not unusual for that time of day during the last month of two to not see them. They've been staying in the safe area a lot and I don't see them very much. If the lake level gets lower, George and Martha may come back to forage in Alvarado Bay.

Digger (or Shy) "flirts" with dad in the ballfield

Lake Murray Ballfield Killdeer

I saw a really small, cute female in one of the ballfields with the M6 (Beautiful) Dad. She was really close to a fence and when I went over to see her, she crouched down on the ground and tried to hide in the grass. She appears to be around 8 weeks old, but still a little undersized. The dad constantly called and chirped to her when she made her alarm calls and trills at me. I think it might have been one of the two female chicks from the M6 area, most likely Digger.

Digger (or Shy) at 8 weeks

Eventually, she calmed down and started over towards her dad. It appeared that she was flirting with him as her behavior was totally strange. She would crouch down and seem tease him. When he came up to her, she would get up and run away. I don't know if she was being a flirt or trying to entice her dad into a game of chase by flashing her red tail feathers at him. Her dad responded with a swelled up neck and puffed up chest feathers, but little else. He may have been puffed up to warn other males to stay away from his daughter.

Playing around with dad

It's possible that the lack of a mom around may have confused her a little when it comes to flirting with her dad. Normally, the mom would be nearby to nip that kind of behavior from the beginning. But, it wasn't serious and I don't think she knew what she was doing. When a starling broke them up, the young female went back to feeding and the dad was shadowing her, not acting like he was interested in her other than protecting her. I think they tend to be at least 4 months old before they breed, so she's got a while to go. And, it's likely that another male will claim her before then (especially if she's a flirt).

A starling breaks them up

I'm glad to see them because they're really ripping it up in their territory. Here's a photo of the road being torn apart only a few feet from where the chicks used to hide:

Construction just feet from where Digger (or Shy) used to hide

It's possible that the other female chick was somewhere around, but I didn't see her.

George and Martha's Family

When I was leaving, I didn't expect to find any killdeers in Alvarado Bay as the water level was really high and George doesn't like it that high. But, when I was walking through a grassy area, a large killdeer flew off. It called and even though I couldn't see it, it sounded like it landed passed the fenced area and called to a second killdeer nearby. I couldn't get a photo of the first killdeer, but I think it was Tiny as the second killdeer was Firecracker. Even when they were chicks, they were almost always together. Firecracker flew off and I thought I saw her going to a little bay on the north side, but when I got there, she was gone. I can't figure out where they go when they go to the north side.

Firecracker at 8 weeks

George and Martha haven't been seen for over a week and I'm beginning to suspect that they may have a new nest and possibly new chicks. George becomes very parental the last week before the eggs hatch and the first week the chicks are around. I saw Martha flirting with George about a month ago, so that would mean that the eggs, if there are any, have hatched. Unfortunately, I can't get to that area to check on them.

Also, the third chick, Killer, hasn't been seen for a while, but he was always scared of people and being out in the open. When he was a chick, from the third day, he always lagged behind to stay hidden longer. So, he may still be with mom and dad, which would indicate that there are probably no new chicks, yet.

Also Seen:

A spotted sandpiper. I didn't notice the piece of plastic when I took this photo or I would have picked it up:



A bunch of baby grebes and a parent:



Two ganders (the brown one can be bitey):



I think this might be an Anna's hummingbird because it has a red crown. This guy was demanding that I take his photo:

Brothers and Sisters, Mom and Dad

All the chicks seem to be fine, that I could see. Sometimes, it's hard to tell who is who when I see them, even with binoculars. So, I take photos of them and look at their breast bands and faces more closely for the subtle differences. But, when I first shoot those photos, I don't always know who is actually there.

In the morning, it looks like I first stumbled upon Tiny and his mom all puffed up and possibly sleeping. They flew away to another part of the same area and when I went over to that side, I assumed they were the only two killdeer there.

Martha and Tiny

The problem is that on a brown surface, like a lakeshore, killdeer almost become invisible. Luckily, they often stand by the water which makes them more visible against it. So, I shot pictures of what I thought were the same two killdeer. But, when I went home and looked at the photos, I could tell it was not the same two. The second set of photos I took look like Martha and Killer. Tiny was probably standing nearby, but I didn't expect to look for three, so I didn't see him or where he went. Therefore, when I witnessed some affectionate chirps between one and another, I originally thought that the brothers were getting along great, but it was really one chick calling after his mom and wanting to be with her.

Martha and Killer

Another photo of Martha and Killer

Later, dad was on duty along with Firecracker and Killer. All three look very similar with their markings except that one was a female. But, sometimes with shadows and if the light is in a certain angle, a female can look like a male and vice-versa, especially when there is high contrast. Dad always stays close to Firecracker, but watches over both chicks.

George watching over his children

Firecracker

Firecracker hiding behind a rock (sorta)

Killer trying to hide behind a rock, also.

When dad gets too close to one of his male chicks, he gets called at almost with a "kill-dee" sound, but not quite. It's almost like a territorial yell, but the notes aren't right and it's stopped short. There's no clucking or threat calls at all and no one gets chased. It may be a special call pleading for the resident male to not hurt him as he's just a baby and he's not a threat. When both brothers are together, it sounds closer to a territorial call, but always stopped short like it's saying "hey, you get out! Oh, sorry dad, didn't recognize you.".

I assume that whomever is missing is with the other parent.

A hawk scare?

When I was almost about to leave, the two young killdeer started making alarm calls and flew off, going around in a circle around the bay. I also saw several other birds like pigeons and grackles fly away from that area really fast. A few seconds after the young killdeer started flying around, I believe dad started after them. Two of them landed near where they were before, but one landed near a grassy area and the geese. Then, after a minute or two, the geese started running to the water. I didn't see anything other than a vulture fly by and the killdeer rarely react to them. Once in a while they do, but rarely, even the babies.

After it was all over, a killdeer chirped for everyone to get together (I assumed it was George calling for Firecracker, whom I think was the one who landed far away). I didn't go check on them as I was sure they were alright as they were the first to react to whatever it was. If it was a hawk, it probably made its strike and got what it wanted or moved on. It does bother me that the young killdeer were the first to fly off because it makes them easy targets for a hawk who likes to catch its food in the air. Maybe that's why George went after them to bring them back to the ground. Hopefully the killdeer moved out of the way of the panicking geese.

Ballpark killdeer flock:

Today, there were two killdeer missing when I first saw the group, but they were both on Cowels and Del Cerro Point. Later, one other killdeer flew away, making the total 8 when I left. It's hard to approach them close enough to get photos unlike when they are near water, so I have a hard time identifying individual ones. When I first arrived, I did see a young killdeer, a male, foraging in the field. I think that could be "Secret" and "Secret" is a male--not a female. It's possible since I never got to see him as a chick. This can be good, we've got two males and a female on one side of the lake and two females and a male on another. Maybe they'll get together.

Also seen:

Flycatcher, the almost grown duckling was seen today. I think I may have even seen a sibling or two of hers show up on the scene, also. However, the young duckling, who would now be two weeks old, was not seen. I was really sad as I look forward to him coming up to me every time I'm there. But, the weather patterns have changed and I think a lot of ducks have gone elsewhere for shade and to keep cool. Hopefully the little duckling is still around. I thought I saw his mom, but she would have come up to the shore when I threw some peas in, so I don't think it was her. A lot of ducks were missing this day, probably due to the hot weather.

Flycatcher

Two sandpipers were seen and they were fighting. I've never seen two sandpipers at this lake together. They were still in their breeding colors, but are starting to get grayer.

Chicks' debut or new fall arrivals?

Aren't I cute? Little female's breastband looks like Martha's

Today started out like any other day at the lake, except that I almost stepped right on George and Martha as I entered into the park. I didn't see them until I was only a few feet away and they took off without making a sound. They were both very calm. A little spotted sandpiper made his appearance, too, following me around as I looked at the ducks and fed them some peas.

Martha and a sandpiper early in the morning

It was strange, no crows, blackbirds and grackles were seen or heard in George and Martha's little part of the world.

At the ballfield, I initially found 7 killdeer and then went to go look at the ducks in Del Cerro Bay. I saw two juvenile Cooper's hawks there. The little duckling was there and swimming right towards the hawks, but I think he ended up hiding in or near some reeds, so I think he was safe for the day. The grackles were spending the day on Del Cerro Point as well as near Cowles point, too. Very few grackles seen today. I the hawks are putting some pressure on them to leave the area.

Back at the ballpark, the second time I came around, I found ten killdeer there. One killdeer was calling on Cowles Point, but then flew over into the ballfield. When I looked, there seemed to be one or two possible small adults, maybe recently fledged chicks. I couldn't be sure as it's also getting close to having fall arrivals migrating into the area. It's still early, but they could start arriving at any time.

One of the small ones was a slim male, very dark in color.


The other small one might be a female.



When I went back to George and Martha's "home", I heard the sounds of territorial killdeer calls. George and Martha were on one side of the bay and two other killdeers were on the other. A third killdeer, a male, may have also been near the other two. George flew off when I got too close and made loud territorial calls all over his territory, even on the north side. Martha flew off and landed close to the invading couple and got into an argument with the invading male.

I went around to the other side and George had returned. I could see George and Martha totally puffed up and angry, mostly directing their anger mostly towards a male with a white feather on his back. I originally thought it was M4 (Grandpa killdeer), but his breast band was different than this one. There also was a small, cute, adorable little female killdeer who didn't seem to be interested in fighting at all. I thought I saw Martha make an aggressive move towards her, but if she did, she wasn't serious. Most of the attention was on Whitefeather, the large adult male. And, Whitefeather's attention was divided between Martha and George and the little pale-colored female.

George "dips" while Whitefeather goes around to confront him. The little female is on the right.

George (on rock) Martha (Left front) and Whitefeather (Left behind). All puffed up.

The little female seemed more interested in what I was doing and started to watch me take pictures of her. She didn't seem afraid of me at all, but cautious. Eventually, she pretty much walked right up to me, almost unafraid. I was hoping that this was Firecracker, the little female chick whom I thought was dead almost five weeks ago. She would be about 38 or 39 days old now, the right time for a killdeer chick to make her appearance into the open world and into killdeer society.

The little female on the left starts to come up to me while Whitefeather watches her and George and Martha watch him

Female chicks almost immediately get courted by adult males when they come out into the open. It's possible that mom and dad were defending her as she is not full grown for another two weeks. It also explained the arrival of another full-grown male on the scene, interested in all the hub-bub. I don't think that other male is Tiny or Killer, Firecracker's brothers, but I will have to get a better look to see next time.

However, this female is very pale and that often indicates that she may be an older female and not a chick. I've noticed that younger killdeer seem to be darker brown than the older ones and they get paler as they get older. But, I haven't confirmed that theory, yet. I have noticed that George, who used to be golden brown has started to get paler over the last year, especially at the base of some of his feathers. But, her color is mostly evenly spread throughout her body and that might indicate youth.

The little female passes within a couple feet of me. She has algae in her mouth

The male who was interested in this female began to become concerned for her as she walked away and started following with Martha following behind. George continued to stand on a rock and proclaim his territory until another human being walked by and scared them away.

George demands that everyone come back and fight with him

If this little female is Firecracker, her brothers may make their appearance next.