Update on Tiny

I didn't bring my camera today, but Tiny is doing well and it appears that his girlfriend, or another female, has come back (or, it could be Firecracker, his sister). He is spending his time in a fenced area near where he grew up. However, this area is under construction, so he may have to move.

Tiny calls all day long to his parents. Once in a while, his parents come to comfort him, but then fly back to their spots. Tiny is not allowed to fly back to his parents. If he does, they will warn him with a kill-dee response which means to keep away.

I went over to see if I could see Tiny and when I called him, he became quiet. Later, a Cooper's hawk flew and landed nearby. Tiny flew off and his dad warned him away. I think he ended up in someone's yard nearby. So, he and his parents were OK when I last saw them. Glad to see that Tiny has a companion again.

The ducks are doing good. I saw Ducky, Oreo, Tom and the others, today.

Osprey Day

George races the egret

Today is a tropical feeling day and we have some tropical moisture moving over us. It rained early in the morning and it looks like it will rain in the afternoon, too.

The killdeer are all moving around all over the place and I think I even saw some new "faces" around the lake. Killer still seems to be hopelessly in love with Shy and follows her around. Lately, he seems to be sticking up to her dad, but still hesitant to fight him.

Tiny, I think

Killer

Martha has been around with Firecracker and I think I even saw Digger, Shy's sister, too. She looks a lot like George. When I arrived, she came to greet me, first.

Martha, Firecracker and, I think, Digger

Osprey:

The lake osprey was very active today and I got several shots of him. He was hanging around where the juvenile male Cooper's hawk used to hang around (I haven't seen the hawks, lately, though) and where the killdeer chicks hatched.






Also seen:

This may possibly be the baby duck that I used to see when I sat on a bench and watched him play around me until he disappeared just over a month ago. I think he's about seven weeks old now:



Also, this handsome mallard couple:



And, a Western kingbird. These birds look similar to a Say's phoebe except it's slightly larger, a more elongated shape, different bill shape, and the gray "hood" is more rounded at the bottom rather than an inverted triangle.


A juvenile red-tailed hawk was also seen, but didn't get a photo. He was being shadowed by the osprey. I think he wanted squirrels.

Foggy Day; Tiny goes "home"

Tiny in the fog

Today was a foggy day and I went, first, to check on Tiny and the juveniles at the lake. But, I didn't get very good pictures there.

I did notice that many of the juveniles have gotten new feathers, a little darker than the others. However, Secret, Tiny's favorite playmate-attack target, has gotten a white feather on his back.

Tiny in front, trilling at Secret with his white feather, behind

Most of the juveniles were in Field 7 at Lake Murray. Shy and her dad were all alone in another field. Her dad never lets any killdeer get close to her and vice versa.

Shy in another field

I didn't see the hawk, at first, but all the doves were gone and the starlings were all sitting on wires mimicking the killdeer. It was funny. I kept hearing the "where are you" chirp and the alarm call and going to go look for the killdeer each time, only to find the starlings. They stopped making noises when I stood under them, so I know it was them. I wonder what the other killdeer thought about these noises?

A half hour later, I was looking for George, but didn't find him. Then, Tiny came calling, flying over from across the lake. I thought, perhaps, the hawk might have chased him out or human activity caused him to leave the fields. I could hear other killdeer doing territorial defense sounds, so I figure everyone might have been chased out of that field, and possibly went to Shy's field, which her dad didn't like.

Tiny seemed really upset and didn't try to eat or anything. Instead, he stood there, right in the middle of a bunch of ducks. I think he was lonely, but he didn't call for his siblings.

Tiny in the sun, looks female-like with the sun directly on his face

Also seen:

One of two spotted sandpipers at the lake this year.



A really small duck, possibly a call duck. It looks like a mini-mallard. It could also be a different breed of wild duck I haven't seen before like a female northern pintail.

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.