Nesting Killdeer

About a month ago I met a Killdeer at Duke Farms; shortly after that I noticed a pair in a gravelly parking lot there. One was in an area cordoned off by Duke Farms because there was a nest there; the other was a short distance away. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these Killdeer was 1 of the birds I had seen previously.

I was a little surprised that neither Killdeer (I'm assuming they were a couple) gave me their famous "broken wing performance", where they pretend to be hurt to lure dangerous creatures away from their nest. Since this was a somewhat active parking lot, perhaps they simply got used to humans being around and decided luring us away was pointless or unnecessary.

Killdeer often lay their eggs in higher parts of gravelly parking lots, right out in the open. The nests have almost no structure to them, and the only protection they have is camouflage and whatever defense their parents can provide:

  1. They're probably big enough to discourage some birds and snakes from eating the eggs.
  2. But if you're a fox or raccoon, their only recourse is probably the broken wing act.
One day the Killdeer were there, and the next time I got back they were gone. Though I suppose that could mean a predator got to the nest, it's probably more likely that the Killdeer chicks hatched and the family moved into the woods/meadows. Unlike some baby birds, Killdeer chicks are pretty functional an hour or so after hatching. The Killdeer parents don't technically feed them, though they will lead the chicks to a feeding area (and perhaps demonstrate foraging by doing some themselves).

Here's the Killdeer on the nest.

April 13, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 189541030, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's another presumed parent a few yards away.

April 13, 2022 at Duke Farms


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