Killdeer Update

This morning I was surprised to find an empty nest and no sign of the third remaining unhatched egg. This discovery could mean two things. 1) that the third baby had hatched successfully and the entire family was afoot somewhere on the property, or 2)a cat or large bird had eaten the entire nestful of babies. I searched for feathers but, mysteriously, only found the grey feathers of another type of bird. I looked for the Killdeer parents and observed them still hovering around the nest but with a different, less frantic behavior. I hoped for the best and went inside to eat breakfast.

About two hours later I took Chai out to potty him in the front yard. Chai loves to lie in the soft grass under the apple tree and eat fallen apples. As usual, he led me to his favorite spot. I glanced over at the waste water draining off our backyard as I waited for Chai to finish his apple. Our lawn maintance guy had scolded me about this water waste. While contemplating ways we could stem the runoff, I noticed the Killdeer parents feeding in the watery area. Suddenly, I saw two small birds running around in the water near the Killdeer. They had to be the babies. Just then Mama Killdeer spotted me and sounded her familiar, piercing alarm. The babies froze. I decided I had pestered these birds long enough and should leave the brood alone. While I didn't see the third baby, I'm assuming it hatched and is also out in the pasture with the Killdeer family. Phew! What a relief to know the babies have lived through the first vulnerable period of their lives.

Blessings on all creatures great and small. The Lord God made us all.