Shorebirds seen today 10/20/2011

Today, I took an accidental trip to Crown Point in Mission Bay. When I was driving by in my car, I saw a whole flock of black bellied plovers (with one dunlin hiding between them and possible a Pacific golden plover or two):



And, a few ruddy turnstones:



And a small flock of skimmers, too:



It was funny seeing the plovers hopping around on one leg because it was too cold to let the other leg down.

Here come the shorebirds!

Least and western sandpipers

Today, I visited the National Wildlife Refuge and Biological Study area off of the Bayshore bike path between Imperial Beach and Coronado, California. It was the first time I've been there to actually look at the birds, though I have ridden my bike down there several times in the past.

I saw a lot of cute shorebirds, but first started with some wigeons, gadwalls, and pintails (I didn't get any photos of the gadwalls):

Pintails

Wigeons

Then, I saw a whole lot of willets. Here's a couple with some wigeons:



There were gobs of birds I couldn't identify because they were so far away:



I like the semipalmated plovers, they look like 2 to 3 week old killdeer chicks. Here they are with a few western sandpipers:



I thought I had scared this big flock of western sandpipers off because I stepped into the boundary of the refuge a few feet (which is a no-no). But, then, I saw a falcon fly by, so I knew they weren't nervous wasn't because of me:



I couldn't get a photo of the falcon, I was concentrating on getting a correct identification. In that photo above, there are also some brants (a type of goose). Here is a close-up of a few:



I am going to post more photos on my Gather page, you can access it here: Darlene's Gather "Other Photos" Page I will also be posting them on We Love Birds and Flickr, too.

I did see some killdeer and some other plovers, but they were too far away to get a good photo of. The killdeer were staying far away from the area the falcon (and a feral cat) were at. In fact, one group of killdeers saw the falcon five minutes before I did and were probably long gone or hidden by the time it flew over to that area.

God and Killdeers

5 killdeers in the driveway and front lawn of the church

We had a women's Christmas party at the church in Bonita, California today and there were at least a dozen killdeer on their lawn. I hope they don't breed there and try to take them across the street to a golf course, the road in front of the church is very busy. I've been going to that church for years, off and on, but the killdeer have only started to feed on their lawn a few months ago.

It started with me seeing two and hearing flirty calls

Then, several appeared from nowhere and some popped their heads up

Peek-a-boo!

When the cars started going through the parking lot, they all flew to a dirt area where they blended in very well. There are nine killdeers in the next photo.

Digger sneaks away

Surprise! Digger was running around near Killer

Digger (one of the M6 chicks) came to visit and hung around Killer (George's son) in George's feeding area at Lake Murray in San Diego. She is not Killer's first love, Shy is (Digger's sister), but I think Killer appreciated having her around. He did trill and chase her a little, but not aggressively, I think it was playful. I think Digger likes Killer more than Killer likes her right now. But, he's not screaming at her or trying to get her to leave, so it may work out.

Killer

Digger

I did hear killdeer calls from various areas of the lake. I think her dad was looking for her or George was giving alarm calls about the osprey.

Both Killer and Digger have gotten the adult body style and feathering. They looked filled out and almost mature.

The young couple

I didn't take any photos of the other birds at the lake today. Ducky, the "lost" duckling, was seen with a young female a few weeks older than her. They were in a newly mowed area near the west side of the parking lot. Chocolate 2 and her new, very large, Rouen boyfriend muscled them away, but I think everything was alright. It makes me nervous that Ducky comes up to the parking area considering there has been accidents in the past.

The Fish Food Ducklings are still doing well as is Tom the Muscovy duck. There was a duck spotted with fishing line around his leg. Bill is working to catch him.

On the way home, I saw a raven with what looked like a slipped wing. It didn't look broken, but it seemed painful for him to fly. I didn't think it would be a good thing to catch him as the wildlife rehab centers are closed on Sunday and he would have spent the day in a drop-off box, alone. His friend was watching over him, at least, and when I went back to give him some grapes to see how bad his injuries were, he was gone. I heard a raven screaming alarms across the street, but did not see him. I think he might have pulled a muscle or dislocated his wing while fighting with a hawk, whom I heard later. Perhaps he was able to get into a tree or on top of a building.

I wasn't real enthused about catching him by hand, anyway, because those beaks will bite my fingers off.

2 families continue to blend

George on his way to give the M6 dad "what for"

At sunset tonight, I went to check on George and his family and noticed that Shy and her dad were still in the area. It's still a little hard for me to tell exactly who was who because they often fluff up and puff out their chests when interacting with each other. But, as far as I could tell, the group tonight was made up of: George, Tiny, Killer, Shy, M6 Dad, and Firecracker. I think Martha came just as it got dark to take Firecracker back with her.

Shy is definitely interested in Killer and I've noticed her making displays to him and preening/bathing in his presence.

I think this is Killer (right) and Shy (left)

The M6 dad, I think, has taken a little bit of interest in Firecracker, but is mostly spending his time running from George and interacting with Tiny. So far, there has been no physical contact, mostly chasing, calls and puffing up.

I think this is the M6 dad (left) and George (right), but not sure if that's the M6 dad on the left.

Everything else seems fine, Shy got a feather stuck to her foot. It was funny to see her running around with it. But, she got it off eventually. All the ducks seem fine, even Tom the Muscovy duck is not scratching as much and his feathers look healthy. He even flew into the water, which is a good sign that he is feeling good.

It was very muddy by the lake and I actually got my foot totally stuck. I lost my shoes and had to dig them out of the mud. The killdeer's feet are better designed for the mud than mine, but they still had problems with sinking, I can see. But, not as much. I hope they don't get stuck in the mud, I don't want to see a dead killdeer there when I visit because one got stuck. But, I think they're not having that big a problem. Mostly, they avoid this spot or they fly before they get too stuck. I have to give them credit, they're not stupid. The only way I think they could get stuck is if they're forced to stand there a long time because of predatory activity.

Killdeer tracks in the mud

Hawks and Tiny's "Talent"

"Killer" watches out for hawks

Today, when I arrived at the lake, I think I saw Tiny and his mom, Martha, together, sleeping. They woke up and flew to another part of the bay. Tiny and Martha look so much alike in many ways, their breast bands are very similar and Tiny sometimes can look female in direct light, except you can see a little bit of a mustache growing. They have slightly different shaped heads, but are pretty close to the same size.

Tiny in the morning

Tiny and his mom

Hawk Scare

When I went to the ballpark area, I only found 7 killdeer and I think they were all adults. They were doing alarm deets and looking at me standing outside the fence. This was unusual as they don't usually get upset when I stand where I was standing. They were also hardly moving and then they began laying down in the grass. This is a sign that they are hiding from a visual predator such as a hawk. So, I looked around and found a Cooper's Hawk right above me. He swooped down to catch a grackle, who got away, and then perched right above my head. I thought of taking a photos, but decided not to.

I went away to check on the duckling, but he was not there, again. In fact, almost all the ducks were gone from that area save a couple of males and one female, not the duckling's mom. There were about twenty ducks laying on the shore in a closed area. I figured the duckling and his mom just went somewhere else due to the heat we've been having.

When I came back, the hawk was gone and so were all the killdeer and other birds. One male killdeer was there, alone when I went onto the field, but he flew over towards George's territory. Other killdeer were heard on Del Cerro and Cowles Point, most likely the adult chicks and, possibly, their mom.

When I was leaving, I was hoping to see George with Firecracker and Killer, but, instead, found the two brothers, Tiny and Killer comforting each other without a parent in sight. When Killer got a little nervous because of a dog passing by, he chirped to his brother and began walking towards him. Then, Tiny met him and did a trill, a greeting that I've heard the brothers do before. Trilling is usually associated with an angry killdeer, but I think, in this case, this was a happy sound they made to make sure neither of them wanted to fight.

Killer

His brother, Tiny

Tiny's "Talent":

I've heard of killdeer eating dead minnows before, but Tiny seems to have a knack for catching live ones. I've caught him, at least twice, catching minnows and even have a photo of him doing so:

Look! I caught a fish! Now, what do I do?

He seems to bite them through their middle, but the tail parts of the fish wrap around his nostrils and upper part of his bill. I believe he waits until the fish dies, rinses his bill and eats the remaining parts as they wash off. I never see him do anything different than any other killdeer in catching them, yet he seems to be able to. He must move quicker than the eye.

When another group of people walked by, including a little girl who was not very respectful of wildlife, they flew off. As I was leaving, I heard the aggressive deet sound and saw one killdeer chasing another. I think it was George chasing away one of the seven killdeer, most likely the lone bachelor, sending him back to the ballfield area. He even took a swipe at the intruder. I would bet that this male got a look at Firecracker and may have tried to steal her away, but dad said "no". Apparently, Firecracker said, "no" also as she didn't follow him.

A good thing about crows:

Crows have a bad reputation and I have to admit that they quite often deserve it. They attack and tease other birds for no reason. They also eat eggs and chicks and sometimes kill adult birds. But, one thing crows are good for is keeping birds of prey out of the area. A red-tail hawk was circling around George's territory, probably looking for squirrels or rabbits, but the crows attacked him. And, crows seem to know the difference between a hawk and a vulture, too. Two vultures were flying nearby, un-harassed, but the hawk was definitely unwelcome in the crows' area.

Also seen:

Cute, cute, cute: A sanderling family of 4!



They were adorable, bathing and being cute. I think two are juvenile.



Sanderlings are brave and not afraid of larger birds. I've seen them attack killdeer, who often gang up on them. They aren't even really afraid of people and not shy at all. And, they can be cute, too!

Day 5, chicks' voices getting louder

Possibly the last photo I will be able to take for a while. This is the largest chick, possibly a female

When I arrived, dad killdeer was over in his M2 area eating flies. He complained at me when I walked up to look at the ducks before he flew back over to where his family was at. I noticed that grackles were spending a lot of time in that area and I thought, at one time, that they were attacking a chick, but it might be one of the parents attacking the grackles. The grackles were not in the area when I visited a second time.

Today, I only managed to see the largest chick and photograph her. Yes, I said her as it appears that she might be going to be a female, but I probably won't be sure until later, if I see them again. I looked and looked and I thought I heard at least one, possibly two other chicks in the brush the first time I passed by.

A strange female killdeer stopped by and began feeding in the area. She looked like she was going to lay eggs any day now. The parents didn't react to her at first, but one of them did make an aggressive call towards her letting her know that she's not welcome. The strange female continued to feed and I assume she left afterward because she was not there a few hours later.

Strange female, possibly a grown chick or relative responding to the alarm calls the parents made.

The second time I passed by, about mid-day, I did not see any chicks at all, though the parents were obviously reacting to me being there and doing broken wing acts. I thought I heard at least one chick peeping, very loudly, from the brush but I couldn't be sure if it was a chick peeping loudly, or mom peeping softly.

I left the area and came back later and one person said that they heard a chick peeping very loudly in the brush, but when I went to check, I did not find it. But, as I went to leave, dad killdeer got very upset and flew ahead of me, probably thinking that I had taken a chick, so I must have been close.

On the way down the road, I passed by the more protected area and could see and hear dad calling for his chicks at that end. I, and the other person could hear two very loud, distinct responses from two chicks there. Mom was still over where the last chick was heard and continued to call. I assume she found him and directed him over to the protected area as she began to get quiet and made softer calls.

I hope all five got together. I'm sure they're all fine, killdeer are usually good at finding their babies and moving them away.

The chicks are getting better at responding by running and hiding more effectively. Instead of freezing where they're at when I approach, the scatter, usually two in one direction and one in another and hide near rocks or brush. It's nearly impossible for me to find them when they hide under brush. It's good that they're hiding behind rocks, even though they're still pretty accessible and able to be grabbed, but they are less likely to get stepped on by accident.

I am not going to be spending as much time looking for the chicks as I used to do. They hide very well now and as long as I know the parents are still protecting them, at least one is still alive. As they grow, their calls will be louder and, eventually, they will not rush to hide as quickly as they do right now. Or, they will be bigger and more noticeable when they do hide. So, mostly I will be listening for them and if I see them, that will be great, too.