Nesting Season 2014
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Please credit all photographs: © FoCLB 2020
Nesting Season Begins at Corcoran Lagoon Beach!
March 6, 2014
10:30 am Female Killdeer making herself look pretty for male.
March 12, 2014
March 13, 2014
2:30 pm The first eggs of the season at Corcoran Lagoon Beach
April 3, 2014
It has been a tough season so far for nesting birds at Corcoran Lagoon Beach. The original Killdeer nest in the ice plant area was abandoned, leaving three eggs in place. That nest was occupied on March 18th. During the night of March 18th someone was setting off M1's on that beach. The nest was found abandoned the following day. Since the 19th the eggs have disappeared. The two mallards, who had begun to build a nest, are dead on the side of the road.
After fits and starts and a lot of stormy weather that saw the sky open and dump a lot of rain and blow things around, the resilient Killdeer have come back to celebrate spring with another nest. Here one of a pair sits on the nest, while the other is feeding down by the lagoon outflow.
After fits and starts and a lot of stormy weather that saw the sky open and dump a lot of rain and blow things around, the resilient Killdeer have come back to celebrate spring with another nest. Here one of a pair sits on the nest, while the other is feeding down by the lagoon outflow.
April 6, 2014
Signs and a cordon protect the general area of the Killdeer nest. Keith remarked: "Smart bird. I can walk up to the rope at the closest point the rope is to the nest and the bird doesn't budge. This morning I couldn't see the bird, so I ducked down to go under the rope to count the eggs (there were three on 4/4). Before I could go under the rope the bird rose up to warn me and I didn't enter the cordon."
April 13, 2014
11:00 am These pics were taken out on the beach a long way from the current killdeer nest. This female is displaying for a mate. We hope she got lucky.
6:45 pm Notice that the Killdeer pair are adding bits of seashell and pebbles to their nest.
April 18, 2014
8:05 pm This picture of footprints in the sand shows how the cordon around the nesting area is working. So far there have only been two intrusions of which we are aware. One was a man with an off-leash dog who entered and was picking up driftwood. The other was two children, whose adult family members, walking on East Cliff, let the kids enter the cordon. The children were alerted and asked to leave.
April 19, 2014
Morning Another Killdeer was spotted within the nesting protection cordon, looking contemplative by its cinder camouflage. This bird was east of the first nest that has birds sitting on eggs.
8:45 am Killdeer on edge of outflow. I don't know why it is trying to disguise itself and at the same time displaying it's rear end. I can guess though. A lot of tweeting going on all over the area.
April 20, 2014
A mallard pair decided to investigate the killdeer nest. The killdeer remained on the nest but called in back-up. The mate returned to the area and and maneuvered in front of the mallards and prevented them approaching the nest. The sitting killdeer was unperturbed, confident that the mate could handle the situation. Later the female mallard returned to the mound area as if seeking a nesting area. This time she kept well away from the killdeer.
April 21, 2014
1:00 pm Four eggs in the Killdeer nest! Today two crows came near the nest and the sitting Killdeer called in reinforcements. For a few seconds both Killdeer were away from the nest. One crow got around them and jumped on the nest only to be viciously attacked by both Killdeers. Eggs were intact after the melee. When things are normal the sitting bird takes no notice of me but when there has been some excitement such as yesterday and today it takes awhile for them to settle down and I can't go near the cordon. I never go inside.
3:00 pm An exclosure has been installed for one occupied Killdeer nest. The birds are content with the design, used successfully last year. With protection in place, the bird only has to guard the front entrance. Last year I witnessed the sitting Killdeer attack one dog and two birds as they approached the front entrance of the exclosure.
April 28, 2014
I was expecting eggs to hatch today. Incubation period is 22 to 28 days. Today is 24 days. Both birds were around the nest acting excited, I couldn't even approach the cordon. The bird came off the eggs often. They can feel the heat of the chicks and do that to cool the eggs. The sitting bird was tilting it's head down and making Killdeer noises. I had never seen that before.
April 29, 2014
This morning the Killdeer is more settled. Two ducks landed near the nest, within 15 seconds the mate came over the road and saw them off.
April 30, 2014
8:30 am Must be getting close hatching time. First pair of eggs incubating for twenty six days. One killdeer on the nest and two others guarding it. The pair in the picture were watching seven or eight house finches and wouldn't let them near the nest. The crows haven't been back since the Killdeers beat them up last week.
May 1, 2014
The Hatch! Bird on nest (4:10 pm) about an hour before the first one hatched. In the second picture (6:30 pm) the still wet newborns can be seen, with a just emptied egg. Parents have already removed other egg shell; the are observed flying to the inner lagoon with egg shell pieces.
May 2, 2014
7:25 am Killdeer chicks still huddled in the nest, before they made their first steps.
Update: We have four lively puff ball Killdeer fledglings! They are already good at camouflage; it is very difficult to find them to photograph. Bonus: swallows are beginning to use the cordon rope to perch on.
May 3, 2014
Noon These two day old Killdeers seem to be all legs!
May 4, 2014
Morning The new Killdeer family has left the cordon area. All four babies made it to the big area of sand in the inner lagoon. There was some opposition from the Egrets but the Killdeer handled it ninja style and won the territorial fight. I don't know how they travelled but killdeer chicks can swim. The killdeer do not venture out while the Caspian Terns are there.
May 7, 2014
The last three days the adult Killdeers have been fighting over territory both on the mound and out on the lagoon spit. The chicks are doing fine out on the spit. Each has it's own character. One is shy and doesn't wander too far from the family area in the inner lagoon; two tend to hang out together; and one is very adventurous, even wading out into the water.
Evidently when they left the nest on the mound, they moved across the road to the edge of the lagoon, swam out to the small island, moved across that and then swam from there to the spit. Not bad for less than two days old.
This evening, I took this picture of a Killdeer on the mound. First time that I've seen a Killdeer up there in the evening since the first family departed. This adult bird is now occupying the old nest. I expect eggs within the next ten days.
Evidently when they left the nest on the mound, they moved across the road to the edge of the lagoon, swam out to the small island, moved across that and then swam from there to the spit. Not bad for less than two days old.
This evening, I took this picture of a Killdeer on the mound. First time that I've seen a Killdeer up there in the evening since the first family departed. This adult bird is now occupying the old nest. I expect eggs within the next ten days.
May 11, 2014
9:34 am Killdeer present on the mound more frequently. New courting behavior observed.
May 12, 2014
7:00 am Thankfully, all four Killdeer chicks were alive this morning, after the disastrous flushing by an off-leash dog last evening. They were hard to see because the sand bank was all churned up from the episode (see video HERE). Today, one of the adults stood back watching the chicks. Every few minutes, the adult would open it's wings and two chicks would come running and the adult would embrace them both.
May 24, 2014
5:00 pm This Killdeer knows something.
May 25, 2014
10:55 am The second nest of the season is established within the protective cordon. Note the amazing camouflage!!
June 17, 2014
7:25 pm A seven week old Killdeer (on left) with parent. While the young from the first successful Killdeer nest are growing up, another Killdeer pair are minding their nest in a protective exclosure. We expect the new hatchings any day.
June 18, 2014
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) and Killdeer on the sand dunes among the native pink sand verbana (Abronia umbellata).
June 20, 2014
Second successful Killdeer nest of the season! Two chicks hatched mid-day June 19, the third on the 20th. In the pictures below, the male is sitting on remaining two eggs, while one day old chicks explore their surroundings. Later in the day, both adults started to round up the three chicks to get them to the inner lagoon.
Below, Killdeer adults go to the concrete barriers that line E. Cliff Drive, trying to get chicks to gap in barrier. One adult would occasionally go into the road and had some close calls with traffic. I was ready to flag traffic down, but the Killdeer felt threatened when I stood up. They gave up for a while and I left.
Eventually, the birds made three three attempts to cross the road. During the second attempt there were two off duty County workers with me. When I saw the chicks going towards the concrete barrier and a parent up on the wall, I told the two workers what was happening. They both ran out on to the road, one to the toilet end and the other up to 23rd Avenue in order to stop traffic if the chicks came thru the K-rail.
The birds are particularly sensitive and will not tolerate anyone near the K-rail or cordon. There is also something else going on. Four times yesterday other Killdeers entered the cordon and then was a contretemps between the occupiers and the interlopers. A territorial battle perhaps.
Eventually, the birds made three three attempts to cross the road. During the second attempt there were two off duty County workers with me. When I saw the chicks going towards the concrete barrier and a parent up on the wall, I told the two workers what was happening. They both ran out on to the road, one to the toilet end and the other up to 23rd Avenue in order to stop traffic if the chicks came thru the K-rail.
The birds are particularly sensitive and will not tolerate anyone near the K-rail or cordon. There is also something else going on. Four times yesterday other Killdeers entered the cordon and then was a contretemps between the occupiers and the interlopers. A territorial battle perhaps.
Later that evening, I was out on the road, just walking, not looking for birds and an adult hopped up on the K-rail, within six feet of me and did the broken wing display. Then an adult appeared out on the road. Almost got hit a couple of times, once by two cars going in opposite directions, but she popped into the air between them. Another time she flew over the wall to attack a leashed dog and almost got hit by car. A bystander said that it looked like she actually made contact with the side of the car. The adults were not tolerating any dogs walking along East Cliff. They are still super sensitive and don't want anyone on their side of the road (near K-rail).
June 21, 2014
The family finally made it over the road, some time between 8:00 am and 10:00 am. I found their foot prints around the east end of the K-rail. Amazing birds!
August 22, 2014
Killdeer Epilogue
We saw nine killdeer on the nesting site mound on the beach. I have never seen more than seven and that was few a weeks ago. The next day we saw at least ten killdeer near the lagoon outflow. This morning we saw six killdeer at Moran Lake. We've never seen killdeer there before. For the most part, they seem to fly in threes. These must be the surviving siblings from each nest - testimony to our shorebird nesting site protection actions.