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-   -   Killdeer Eggs Hatched! (https://www.quiltingboard.com/general-chit-chat-non-quilting-talk-f7/killdeer-eggs-hatched-t250874.html)

Neesie 07-27-2014 04:42 PM

Killdeer Eggs Hatched!
 
3 Attachment(s)
Earlier this month, we found a Killdeer nest in our yard. We've been watching it and today finally saw the new chicks! The hatched pictures were taken from a distance; I didn't want to cause an upset, by getting too close to the chicks.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]485263[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]485264[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]485265[/ATTACH]

quiltingcandy 07-27-2014 04:44 PM

Really cool! Thanks for sharing.

Elise1 07-27-2014 04:45 PM

Lucky you! I am sure you will enjoy watching the chicks grow.

Wonderful pictures, thanks so much.

Tartan 07-27-2014 05:56 PM

Very cute! Not much of a nest though.

CurliQ 07-27-2014 10:33 PM

Oh my gosh! That's amazing. Thanks so very much for sharing.

Libster 07-28-2014 12:36 AM

Cool pics! Thing is..Mom has already moved them from the nest. She does that as soon as the last one hatches and dries off. It's to prevent predators from finding them. I have them every year in my yard.

zennia 07-28-2014 02:13 AM

Thank You for sharing these pics. You were so lucky to get the new chicks. Don't you just love seeing things like this. I had morning doves nest and hatch in my yard this summer. They were so much fun to watch grow and learn to fly. They still come back to feeder every morning.
Enjoy your babies.

QuiltnNan 07-28-2014 02:33 AM

thanks for sharing

coopah 07-28-2014 04:08 AM

That's really fun! Those little chicks are such fun to watch with the mom trying to get them to follow!

ManiacQuilter2 07-28-2014 04:16 AM

Not a very good place for mother to hatch her chicks on the ground. They must be so cute !!

Doggramma 07-28-2014 05:21 AM

We had those in our backyard for a couple years! The mom would pretend she had a broken wing when we'd go out back. We were always so anxious to see the little ones, but we'd come home from work and everyone would be gone.

nativetexan 07-28-2014 05:46 AM

Oh they are so beautiful!! I had a baby bunny on my front porch this morning! one of my three cats let me know she saw it and so wanted outside.

Neesie 07-28-2014 06:29 AM


Originally Posted by Libster (Post 6820487)
Cool pics! Thing is..Mom has already moved them from the nest. She does that as soon as the last one hatches and dries off. It's to prevent predators from finding them. I have them every year in my yard.

Yesterday, they had just recently hatched and were still in the original nest. Today, they're up and about, in the grass. :-)

Neesie 07-28-2014 06:37 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Here's a picture of one chick, I took this morning. For size comparison, that's a nettle, to the left. This was taken from a distance.
I only saw the one chick; the parents had moved them to the tall grass (it won't be cut, until all chicks are more mature). Killdeer mature/develop longer within the egg, before hatching, than most other birds. By the time they hatch, they're about ready to run!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]485315[/ATTACH]

Jingle 07-28-2014 06:37 AM

Very cool. Lucky you to see this.

mim 07-28-2014 06:38 AM

I love to watch kildeer. As open fields get built with homes, there are fewer places for them. I imagine the stones warm up in the sun to keep the eggs and babies warm.

Thanks for sharing
Mim

Geri B 07-28-2014 07:00 AM

First, what a beautiful thing! Second, that must be the name of the bird(s) I see around here flying low in the prairie grasses..They are a pretty bird...

Caswews 07-28-2014 07:03 AM

How awesome and thanks for sharing !!

EmiliasNana 07-28-2014 07:06 AM

That's what those birds are! We have them nest on the sides of the road next to the fields. The farmers are requested to not mow certain areas until after August, so that nests and habitats aren't compromised. Thanks for the pics. We had a HUGE thistle in our iris bed and just as my husband was going to cut it out, he spotted a wren nest right near the stem about a foot from the ground. Smart bird. The eggs were so tiny! Obviously we left it until the fledglings left the nest.

JanieH 07-28-2014 07:10 AM

I had never heard of this bird before - I am so intrigued. Lucky you for having them and lucky us for getting to see your pictures!

Neesie 07-28-2014 07:21 AM


Originally Posted by EmiliasNana (Post 6820908)
That's what those birds are! We have them nest on the sides of the road next to the fields. The farmers are requested to not mow certain areas until after August, so that nests and habitats aren't compromised. Thanks for the pics. We had a HUGE thistle in our iris bed and just as my husband was going to cut it out, he spotted a wren nest right near the stem about a foot from the ground. Smart bird. The eggs were so tiny! Obviously we left it until the fledglings left the nest.

How cool, to find the nest! :) Were y'all able to take any pictures?

We live in the country and during nesting season, leave a large part of our property uncut. Even still, it's a wonder so many birds actually survive. Out here, we have predators left and right - snakes, raccoons, opossums, wandering cats, snakes, etc. :rolleyes:

sparkys_mom 07-28-2014 07:51 AM


Originally Posted by ManiacQuilter2 (Post 6820611)
Not a very good place for mother to hatch her chicks on the ground. They must be so cute !!

A lot of birds build their nests on the ground or very close to it. It is one of the reasons that cats can be such a threat to bird populations.

AngeliaNR 07-28-2014 07:55 AM

Baby killdeer look like puffballs on legs when they run--so cute!

lynnie 07-28-2014 09:19 AM

never heard of them. beautiful birds. I just love pictures Thanks Neesie

thimblebug6000 07-28-2014 09:25 AM

How special, thanks for sharing the pictures! In 2012 when we were camping down in Shipshewana one made a nest in an RV spot.... the park put up cones so no one would bother them, it was so amazing to see them sitting in the gravel and it was over 100* F with no shade for them.

Neesie 07-28-2014 09:26 AM


Originally Posted by zennia (Post 6820502)
Thank You for sharing these pics. You were so lucky to get the new chicks. Don't you just love seeing things like this. I had morning doves nest and hatch in my yard this summer. They were so much fun to watch grow and learn to fly. They still come back to feeder every morning.
Enjoy your babies.

How cool! :) We have lots of those doves around here but I've never come across a nest.

Stitchit123 07-28-2014 09:37 AM

Thanks for the pictures. My Dad and I get these in our yards in the evenings- neither of us have ever seen them before. He has been in his house for 25yrs and they are new this year. Now I can tell him who his new feeder friends are. They are a very nice bird. They get along with all his other feathered and furry friends. He has a Blue Jays and a Cardinal and a Squirrel that sit and eat together off of his feeding shelf attached to the tree. He swears they understand english. Michigan and Ohio use to squabble at feeding time but after just one warning that they had to play nice or leave they are now behaving.

Neesie 07-28-2014 09:55 AM


Originally Posted by Stitchit123 (Post 6821169)
Thanks for the pictures. My Dad and I get these in our yards in the evenings- neither of us have ever seen them before. He has been in his house for 25yrs and they are new this year. Now I can tell him who his new feeder friends are. They are a very nice bird. They get along with all his other feathered and furry friends. He has a Blue Jays and a Cardinal and a Squirrel that sit and eat together off of his feeding shelf attached to the tree. He swears they understand english. Michigan and Ohio use to squabble at feeding time but after just one warning that they had to play nice or leave they are now behaving.

How sweet, that they all eat together! I had to put squirrel guards on all of our feeders, to keep them from devouring all the seed. :rolleyes:

oldtnquiltinglady 07-28-2014 10:00 AM

Did you forget the fire ants in your list of predators. When we lived in Texas, we couldn't raise baby chicks because of the fire ants. Just broke my heart. I do love baby chicks and the mama hen clucking and tending.

tlpa 07-28-2014 10:16 AM

Aww..so cute. I hope there are no hunter kitties running around.

solstice3 07-28-2014 11:10 AM

How precious!

farmquilter 07-28-2014 11:16 AM

Looks like the mom is giving you a warning, beak wide open talking at you. Babies are the right color, hidden there in the pebbles, wise momma.

Neesie 07-28-2014 11:57 AM


Originally Posted by oldtnquiltinglady (Post 6821197)
Did you forget the fire ants in your list of predators. When we lived in Texas, we couldn't raise baby chicks because of the fire ants. Just broke my heart. I do love baby chicks and the mama hen clucking and tending.

We do have lots of ants but they seem to be of the 'regular' variety, thank heavens!

Neesie 07-28-2014 12:02 PM


Originally Posted by tlpa (Post 6821226)
Aww..so cute. I hope there are no hunter kitties running around.

Unfortunately, there is at least one cat that roams around here, at night. :(

Neesie 07-28-2014 12:08 PM


Originally Posted by farmquilter (Post 6821312)
Looks like the mom is giving you a warning, beak wide open talking at you. Babies are the right color, hidden there in the pebbles, wise momma.

LOL Yeah, she was fussing at me but I was actually a decent distance away from her nest. :) I cropped the picture, to zero in on her and the babies. Before the eggs hatched, the parents would take turns on the nest. One would just watch, as I passed by. The other would get up, start squawking and run ahead of me, if I even looked that way. :D

teacherbailey 07-28-2014 12:13 PM

We don't have killdeer in Georgia that I know of.....interesting to learn about something new! Great pics too!

ube quilting 07-28-2014 02:06 PM

How wonderful to be able to enjoy watching these wonderful birds nesting. Thank you for sharing.
peace

mary quilting 07-28-2014 03:02 PM

That's what those birds are! I did not know the name. I wondered what a shore bird was doing in the parking lot in GA.

mary quilting 07-28-2014 03:03 PM

I saw some in an Alpharetta parking lot

Originally Posted by teacherbailey (Post 6821361)
We don't have killdeer in Georgia that I know of.....interesting to learn about something new! Great pics too!


Cheshirecatquilter 07-28-2014 08:31 PM

You gotta wonder how some species evolved and survived.


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