Three of the four Killdeer eggs hatched on Tuesday, July 14. As of Friday, the fourth egg has not hatched, and we don't anticipate that it will - mom gave up incubating now that she has active youngsters to watch. Baby Killdeer are precocial, meaning that they are born like chickens, ducks, and quail - they spend more time in the egg and hatch with eyes open, downy feathers and ready to run. While they look like a carbon copy of their parents, these young birds still cannot fly, so they are dependent on mom and dad for protection against danger. The chicks are able to forge for food on their own and will be able to fly at about 20 to 31 days old.
I've been watching this family and find the youngsters absolutely adorable! I did see three young the first two days, but I have not seen the third chick for the last two days. I spent time tonight down by the big sign watering flowers and weeding, and only two were sighted. I am also concerned about the other parent, I am assuming it would be the male. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and I know that I saw the two adults in the area after the eggs hatched, but I have only seen one adult now for the last few days.
We did put a sign up at the entrance to the driveway at Marsh Haven - "Slow! Baby Killdeer Crossing" because they are very difficult to see and we'd hate to lose any others. I've grown quite fond of this family and I hope they will survive the season and come back to nest at Marsh Haven next year.
