The killdeer who lives here
(Charadrius vociferus)
A few weeks ago I had a mother killdeer and several babies running around my garden. Whenever I approached she would feign injury to draw me away from the babies and they would hide in the rhubarb patch.
One day I no longer saw the babies. I do not know if they flew away or met their demise but I believe the latter to be true.
Mother killdeer has laid another clutch of eggs. Right there in the asparagus plants. Thankfully we have finished eating asparagus so we do not disturb her. I walk down to the garden often to see what is going on and she is there so I hope this batch will hatch and fledge.
Life for a baby killdeer is a difficult one. They are out in the open and prey for anyone who desires so. We live where there are many barn cats, hawks, and other wildlife that could be a threat.
It takes 24 to 28 days of incubating for the chicks to hatch which can be a long time for the eggs to be exposed. They do blend in with the background however which can make them hard to see.
The babies come out of the shells running and do so until they are ready to fledge. They appear just like their parents, however in a miniature form. Wonderful to see. They depend on mom to scare away harm by drawing intruders away from the nest.
One day I no longer saw the babies. I do not know if they flew away or met their demise but I believe the latter to be true.
Mother killdeer has laid another clutch of eggs. Right there in the asparagus plants. Thankfully we have finished eating asparagus so we do not disturb her. I walk down to the garden often to see what is going on and she is there so I hope this batch will hatch and fledge.
Life for a baby killdeer is a difficult one. They are out in the open and prey for anyone who desires so. We live where there are many barn cats, hawks, and other wildlife that could be a threat.
It takes 24 to 28 days of incubating for the chicks to hatch which can be a long time for the eggs to be exposed. They do blend in with the background however which can make them hard to see.
The babies come out of the shells running and do so until they are ready to fledge. They appear just like their parents, however in a miniature form. Wonderful to see. They depend on mom to scare away harm by drawing intruders away from the nest.
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. The one in our garden does this to us if we get too close to the nest.
Unlike most birds, killdeer parents do not feed their chicks. After the last egg has hatched, the parents lead the chicks to a feeding area. The chicks stay with the parents until they are able to fly. This happens when they are 20 to 31 days old. These chicks become mature and may breed the next spring.
In the northern areas such as where I live the killdeer breed once per year, raising one to two broods per season.
Unlike most birds, killdeer parents do not feed their chicks. After the last egg has hatched, the parents lead the chicks to a feeding area. The chicks stay with the parents until they are able to fly. This happens when they are 20 to 31 days old. These chicks become mature and may breed the next spring.
In the northern areas such as where I live the killdeer breed once per year, raising one to two broods per season.