Killdeer *KILL ME*

SOB · Mon May 20, 2013 8:15 pm

I have always thought the sounds of killdeer are extremely annoying...

Half my garden has been left as it was last fall - covered in a mixture of leaves, grass clippings, composted manure, etc. It has been awaiting the warm weather crops - pumpkins, summer squash, watermelon (another thanks to Jal_UT), cantelope, etc. It's about a 30'X40' section...pretty big.

But now the area seems much smaller as it's being shared with the Killdeer and a couple eggs. I am getting VERY tired of their screeching and fake-injury-wing-flopping whenever I'm in the garden. OK...the fake injury thing is kinda cool. BUT there is no more relaxing in the garden! It's a constant SCREECH SCREECH (hey look at me) SCREECH! I wanted to "relocated" the eggs but my wife (and my conscience) won't let me. I was working the area today trying to stay away and the one time I forgot I came within an inch (no exaggeration) of stepping on the eggs...

I looked it up...28 days until they hatch...let the count down begin...

digitS' · Mon May 20, 2013 11:10 pm

I know what you mean. Just try to be patient. And, think of kildeers as being amongst the real feather-brained of the bird world.

They don't mean to be simple. It is just their nature.

A good thing - once those eggs hatch - those babies are outta there! And, they are real cute. They probably won't go far at first so you have to still be patient but, at least, they won't quite be underfoot. (Then, you'll probably start fretting about the babies' survival

.)

Steve

RamonaGS · Tue May 21, 2013 3:16 am

We get mud swallows here, and those really are annoying too. They build mud nests on the eves and overhangs of buildings, and once they lay eggs, they dive and peck any living thing that comes near. Your only hope with those buggars is to spray the nests down before they finish building them and lay eggs. It is so amazing how such tiny little birds can ruin your outdoor relaxation!

SOB · Tue May 21, 2013 8:10 am

RamonaGS wrote:...they dive and peck any living thing that comes near.

At least the killdeer don't attack. There have been times I looked over my shoulder to make sure they weren't coming after me!

applestar · Tue May 21, 2013 9:00 am

I love killdeer -- at least from farther away

They come around and I guess sometimes nest in the fields along the exercise path.
The way they patter around and the sweeping curve of the fields and the path create illusion like the shore.

One time, I was walking by and one of the birds starting doing something odd -- it took me a while of watching to figure out it was doing the "broken wing" display

, which I'd read about often but never seen before.

RamonaGS · Wed May 22, 2013 2:19 am

I never had a problem with mud swallows nesting on my house, but a neighbor dropped the ball and let a couple nest on their property. The whole neighborhood was rerouting around that stupid house, to avoid them. Which was bad because it was only a block away from an elementary school.

tomf · Wed May 22, 2013 8:39 am

This is the first year I have had swallows around the house, I am on patrol as I will not let them nest on my house. every year I have to go after wasp nests as well.

SOB · Wed May 22, 2013 1:14 pm

I love having swallows around. We have tons of them. I think they have nests in some of the old barns in our area. Sometime when I mow the lawn they are swooping all around me catching the moths that I kick up. The other day I was working in the garage and 4 swallows came in chasing each other and flew so close that I could feel one brush up against me. Even though it was cool to see them that close I did let out a surprised little scream like a little girl

Back to the Killdeer nesting...it was weird...there had only been 2 eggs in the nest and then all of a sudden yesterday a third one appeared!

RamonaGS · Wed May 22, 2013 3:00 pm

I agree that swallows are cute, except when mud swallows are nesting, lol I would probably be very irritated with Killdeer noise in my relaxing area too! I know some birds will lay eggs in other bird's nests, but I don't know if killdeer do that or not. I'd be interesting to find out, lol

SOB · Wed May 22, 2013 4:31 pm

RamonaGS wrote:I know some birds will lay eggs in other bird's nests, but I don't know if killdeer do that or not. I'd be interesting to find out, lol

Funny you should say that...cuz I went out there today and there is a FOURTH egg now?! It's been a good week since the first two showed up. Another weird thing is I went out to the garden (a good 250' from the house) and the Killdeer was nowhere to be found...

RamonaGS · Wed May 22, 2013 11:58 pm

Do you think maybe cats or other predators got them?

SOB · Thu May 23, 2013 7:19 am

He (she?) came back...must have been off wandering around for some reason. I should try and get some pics tonight...make this thread a little better.

RamonaGS · Thu May 23, 2013 3:14 pm

That would be cool...share your pain, LOL

Cola82 · Thu May 23, 2013 7:00 pm

I, for one, would love photos.

I've been lurking.

SOB · Thu May 23, 2013 7:12 pm

Cola82 wrote:I, for one, would love photos.

I've been lurking.

That made me chuckle

All I could get tonight was a pic of the nest. The eggs are nice to look at. Typically they nest in a gravel so you can imagine how much the eggs blend in. I still have a hard time finding them even when I know the vicinity in the garden.

I usually only have my iphone in the garden and it doesnt zoom so I cant get a good pic of the killdeer playing injured. I'll try to remember over the long weekend to take the digital camera out there to get a nice pic!

RamonaGS · Thu May 23, 2013 7:35 pm

Good grief! I'd probably step on the things by accident! They blend in so well!

Cola82 · Thu May 23, 2013 7:44 pm

Aw man, that's so neat. Eggs are cool.

SOB · Tue May 28, 2013 8:11 am

Here are a couple pics of the "broken wing" defense. You may need to click on the pic to get a closer look.

RamonaGS · Tue May 28, 2013 4:43 pm

LOL! I've seen other birds do that too,

New Girl · Sat Jun 15, 2013 2:58 am

How cool! I have never seen a bird do a broken-wing dance.

I don't think killdeer live in my area. Mud swallows do, I used to like them but then I had one dive bomb a horse I was riding... Not. Pretty.

SOB · Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:05 pm

Well...we were gone this weekend and came back home yesterday to a quiet garden again! All four eggs have hatched and all the birds moved on. They seem to have taken a liking to my neighbors house because I could see from a distance the tiny babies and the two adults running around in their driveway.

I wish I could have gotten a picture but they are just too far away now!

Dillbert · Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:04 pm

my parents had a (large) rough stone driveway. and every year the killdeer would make a nest "somewhere right in the middle" - the injured bird dance was a daily thing....

they took to parking on the road or right at the road end of the drive until the hatchlings fledged.

I really should have done a video of the broken wind dance - it was amusing and kinda cute - especially when you know it's all a fake.

oh wait, somebody did that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXhjBKo1ZYA

RamonaGS · Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:00 pm

Ah, I didn't realize Killdeer are a type of plover. We have Snowy Plovers here, but the beach where they nest on is closed during their nesting season, so I have not gotten to see the broken wing dance if they do it too. lol

Green Mantis · Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:22 pm

Apparently when swallows nest under the eaves on your house, it's "GOOD LUCK."

Where we lived at one time had them all around the house, was the luckiest place we ever lived.

Would never ever knock a nest down. I love them.

RamonaGS · Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:04 am

I couldn't deal with the swallows dive bombing everyone including myself. I wash the nests down because of that little trait of theirs, lol

Killdeer KILL ME

Killdeer KILL ME