Every year it seems there is at least one Killdeer nest in
the lower parking lot at Marsh Haven. This year was no exception. I had been
seeing a Killdeer in the area when I would open the gate in the morning and
close it in the evening. It would keep a sharp eye on me, so I was thinking
there must be a nest nearby. So last Tuesday evening, I walked down to the gate
to close it up and thought I’d scout around for the nest. Mom Killdeer scolded
me and kept a distance. I kept my eyes focused on the gravel because I knew
those eggs are so well camouflaged that I could possibly step on them before
even seeing they were there. Mom never got too upset, so I figured I had not
come very close to the nest. I would try another day.
On Wednesday morning I knew Merle would be out to mow, so
that was the day to find the nest and flag it so it would not be damaged. Two
volunteers were in that morning and they headed down to the parking lot to look
around. I sent a hula-hoop from the lodge along to mark the nest. After about a
half-hour, Karen spotted three eggs in a shallow scrape on the ground. She knew
that it was close by when Mom started her broken wing act in hopes of luring
Karen away from the nest. The hula-hoop was put in place and Deb stayed to
watch from a distance to make sure Mom would cross the hoop and go back to her
nest. She did, we also put some flags up and I later added a few big rocks just
in case. The nest is very close to the driveway and so well hidden that they
could easily be damaged by accident.
The Killdeer that nest at Marsh Haven will spend their
winters in Central America. The general range of these plovers is as far north
as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Quebec,
as well as the southern part of Alaska. They can be found year round across the
southern half of the U.S. and parts of Peru. Both parents will incubate the
eggs for about 23 to 29 days and both parents will feed the youngsters. They
can fly at about 25 days old.
So every day when I come and go, I see Mom (or maybe Dad) Killdeer
sitting on her nest surrounded by a hula-hoop. I hope her eggs will hatch soon
and that this Killdeer family will stay safe at Marsh Haven!
References: The Joy of
Killdeer in Spring, Summer 2014, Marsh Haven Monarch
