Killdeer

A killdeer taken at Fernhill Wetlands this past August 12. Note the frayed edges of its feathers.

Killdeer - Eggs

This post may be a little controversial. One of the bird ethics guidelines is to not disturb a bird's nest. I violated that guideline to get these pictures. I was very still and calm as I took the pictures and I wasn't as close as the pictures look as I was using a powerful telephoto lens, but none-the-less, the parents were obviously stressed.

I justified it, in this case, because they are Killdeers. Killdeers build their nest on the ground, in the open, with no protection other than great camouflage and an interesting behavior in which they fake being injured to draw potential predators away. So in a way, they are used to this.I first noticed a Killdeer near the service road as I walked at Fernhill Wetlands Sunday morning. It called out its familiar cry it uses when it is on alert. Then I noticed another Killdeer raise up off the ground a walk off. This tipped me off that I stumbled upon a breeding pair and their nest. I knew where the nest was only because I saw one of the pair raise from it, so it didn't take long to locate the eggs even though they are well camouflaged.It seemed that it was only one of the parents that stuck close by the nest using its broken wing technique in an attempt to draw me off. Then, it changed its strategy and began charging me, still on the ground. I assume it was exhibiting the behavior described on Cornell's All About Birds site, "The Killdeer’s broken-wing act leads predators away from a nest, but doesn’t keep cows or horses from stepping on eggs. To guard against large hoofed animals, the Killdeer uses a quite different display, fluffing itself up, displaying its tail over its head, and running at the beast to attempt to make it change its path."That behavior was what made me decide it was time to leave. As I walked off, the two parents flew out ahead of me, alternating flying and crying out, leading me away from their nest.
I hope no one is offended.

Killdeer - Fledglings

I guess fledgling is the correct word to use for these young Killdeer. Merriam-Webster states: to acquire the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity; also : to leave the nest after acquiring such feathers. While they can't yet fly, they definitely have left the nest.
Ever since seeing a pair of Killdeer flirting at RNWR earlier this Spring, I have been watching for the first signs of youngsters and today was the day. I
t was a nasty day at times, raining hard with dark clouds. The young would run around for awhile under the watchful eye of the parent (mother?). Then, maybe because of the rain, the cold or possibly my presence, they would snuggle up under their parent. It was rather cute.

I got a little wet taking these pictures, but it was worth it. Now I hope to see some on a sunny day. In this low light, the fine, wispy feathers of the fledglings turned out rather soft in the images even though their legs were usually rather sharp.

Update: It was pointed out by a commenter that these are actually 'chicks', not 'fledglings'. Quote "These are not fledglings, but are chicks. They are precocial, meaning they are born with downy feathers and are able to walk and feed themselves. Once they molt their downy feathers and acquire flight and body feathers they are fledglings. Takes 4 weeks or so."
My thanks to the anonymous commenter!

Killdeer - Love is in the Air

As I passed the entrance to Kiwa trail, I noticed a couple of Killdeers near the road along Canvasback Lake at RNWR. Killdeers are starting to be a common sight again and these seem to be getting ready for mating.
More than once, one of the Killdeers (female?) would settle down in a depression among the broken reeds and newly sprouting grass. As the probable female settled in at one point, the probable male moved in and stood along side. The following sequence of pictures illustrate how the female raised up her hind quarters while sitting on a possible nest.

I did not see the male mount the female as seen in many pictures on the web, but then it seems a bit early to be starting a family, though I couldn't find any information about the typical breeding period of the Killdeer.

Killdeer

What a difference it makes when you can get in close to the subject. I took these images back on August 22 at Fernhill Wetlands. It was the day I saw my first Red-necked Phalarope. I had walked down the bank to get in closer to the Phalarope and a Western Sandpiper. Both where being very cooperative. While shooting those two, a couple of Killdeers walked in even closer.

Killdeer

I thought the last Killdeer picture I posted turned out nice, but this one beats it. Some of it is a better angle (not shooting from my car), some of it is a better background intensity and a lot has to do with the 400mm, f2.8 I rented last weekend. Sure wish I could own one of those. As hard as it is to lug around and more difficult to shoot with, it's worth it as it really performs well.

Killdeer

As I was leaving TRNWR the other day, this Killdeer was standing in the middle of the driveway out of the parking lot. I decided that instead of getting out of the car (and possibly scaring it away), I would just turn the car to the side so I could shot through the open side window. I took a bunch of pictures and then drove a little closer and took some more. This image was from the third and closest series of shots. I may have taken more, but I had a car wanting to leave behind me and a car wanting to enter ahead of me. Neither could get through because my car was angled across the driveway. :-) I decided I had enough pictures and let them go through and the Killdeer flew off. Someone I came across on the trail about a week ago told me a Killdeer had a nest in the gravel somewhere in the parking lot, but I could never find it. I wonder if this was the one?