Well, it has been a while since the last post and I'm sure many of you have been waiting for the conclusion of the story. Having been in Florida for a week, I have returned to find that the Killdeer chicks had hatched just a couple of days prior to my return. I so wanted to see the little ones running around their nest area catching insects. However, the Killdeer rescue was a complete success and that is the most important element in this story. As for photos, obviously I didn't get any, but I have included an image from Wikipedia for those who have never seen a Killdeer chick. They are impossibly cute. All of us who helped save the nests and the birds are quite happy and relieved.
I will get some new posts up in a few days. Sorry for the delay.
The Killdeer nesting in the field were going about their business as usual: regulating the temperature of their eggs, eating insects, warning off curious onlookers, and feigning a broken wing to divert dogs and their humans from the nest locations. As I said in my last post In Harms Way, they had no idea what was about to transpire.
The only solution to save the birds would be to try and catch the birds on their nest and then collect their eggs and nesting material just before the Marines landed their helicopter gunships and troop carriers on the field.
So the day arrived, Sunday May 30th, my wife Melanie and I got into the car and drove down to the sanctuary. Being a hot and beautiful summer-like day, the traffic jam leading up to the amusement park entrance (that also happens to be the entrance to the sanctuary access road) was at least a mile long. The county police sergeant who I had been speaking with in preparation of the Killdeer rescue plan was extremely helpful and actually provided a police escort to get us through traffic and crowds to reach the sanctuary an hour before the scheduled landing.
It was a hectic scene that greeted us upon arrival. Fire trucks moving into position the road near the landing zone and nesting area. Amusement park staff were in process of pulling up the protective barriers around the nests (they were not supposed to), and everyone was asking questions and talking at once. The administrators in charge of the event were helpful though, and everyone seemed to be interested in what we were attempting on behalf of the birds. They seemed genuinely concerned about saving the Killdeer and their eggs. I found this refreshing and encouraging.
Birds don’t like their nests disturbed, let alone removed altogether, then replaced, so I had no idea if my plan would be successful. I hoped that the two hour "disappearance" of the eggs and nest would not cause the Killdeer to abandon the area.
Zero hour was moved up so that we had only about 30 minutes before the helicopters arrived. Two of the sanctuary’s volunteers were on hand to help with the rescue. I walked slowly up to the first nest with the Killdeer sitting on her eggs. I began speaking to her again in reassuring tones as I inched closer. She of course gave her warning cry repeatedly. I sat right next to her and the nest – half an arms length away looking for the right moment to grab her as gently as possible. She protested loudly, and flew at my bare hands as I moved closer. Repeatedly she struck at my hands with her sharp beak, and I realized that she would not be so easy to capture despite my hands being inches from her. I did not want to cause her harm or more stress than was necessary. (I could have tried using a net but felt it would be too stressful.) As she attempted to lure me away with the broken wing act, I marked the eggs with a small dot using a magic marker so that I would be able to keep the eggs in the upright position when returning them later. I collected the bits of tattered cardboard and small bits of sticks that made up the nest.
With the nest and eggs gone, the killdeer was very upset, flying in circles around the area. I felt bad having to cause her such distress, but it was the only hope of saving her chicks-to-be.
We repeated this process for the other nests that had eggs in them, and brought them back to the sanctuary, positioning their rescue boxes open in full sunlight. The eggs were hot to the touch, which was as it should be – around 90 degrees F. It so happened that the air temp that afternoon was exactly 90 degrees. If we had cooler or wet weather to deal with, it would have been more complicated to maintain proper incubation temperature.
So with the eggs safely stowed outside the nature center building, the volunteers and my wife and I headed back down the road to watch the landing. Within a few minutes the first helicopters began arriving, circling the field several times before landing, one at a time. Then the MV-22 Osprey came in and landed. The combined effect these aircraft had on the nesting field was to blast nearly every fleck and particle of debris from the area. (See video clip). The Osprey craft alone with its tilt rotors and vertical thrust burned the ground and sent clouds of dust high into the air. No Killdeer nest would survive that.
MV-22 Osprey on nesting field. (Click for larger image)
A Killdeer nest site - nest and eggs removed. (Click for larger image)Next, the Marines exited the crafts and deployed nearby for the crowd to see. Once the rotors were shut down and helicopters secured, the crowd ran onto the field to inspect the admittedly cool looking aircraft and shake hands with the clean cut Marine pilots and troops. None of them had any idea that there was this life or death drama taking place in the same field.
My wife and I inspected the marked locations of the nests as shown in the accompanying photos. We had done the right thing and were relieved. Last summer, before I was stationed at the wildlife sanctuary, the same Marine mock raid took place and the parks staff at the time thought that placing stacks of sandbags around the nest and eggs would work. It did not. The vortex/blast of the rotors still obliterated the nest and eggs. Getting the eggs out of harms way was the only solution.
With the Marines done for the day, the take-off was equally destructive to whatever might have been in the vicinity with large plumes of exhaust smoke belching from the Osprey. (See photos and video clip). The Canada Geese on the opposite end of the field began to exit en masse as the whine of the engines increased.
With the military show over successfully and safely, we quickly set about reconstructing the nests and replacing the eggs just as we had found them, being sure to put the right eggs in the right nests, right side up. Protective barriers back in place, I looked about for the Killdeer but did not hear or see any. Nothing more for us to do, so we all packed up and headed home.
Returning eggs and nesting material. (Click for larger image). Photos by Melanie GambinoHalf an hour later, I got a call from the wildlife rehabilitator who had stopped by to see if the birds had returned to nest. Indeed they had! My wife and I were happy and relieved – and exhausted from the excitement and tension of the day.
What we hope for is still about 14-18 days away – Killdeer chicks hatching. With luck, the chicks will hatch as if nothing happened. That will be the final and most important marker of success.
It is spring, and many animal species are giving birth, laying eggs, and raising their young. No matter how careful and watchful the parents and offspring are, it is still a risky business with no guarantee of survival. If we factor in the world of man and all our machines, road, technologies, environmental degradation and destruction, the risk to wildlife is ridiculously high in many instances.
Yesterday, as part of my job, I searched the grass and sand parking area that is just outside the technical boundary of the nature sanctuary. I was looking for the ground nests of Killdeer – birds which arrive each spring to lay their eggs in this flat open field. I had to locate the very well hidden nests and eggs because the field is part of an overflow parking area for the adjacent amusement park and would be utilized for the Memorial Day weekend crowds.
Killdeer and eggs at nest site. (Click to enlarge).Around each of the 7 nesting sites I pounded in wooden stakes and wrapped caution tape to deter lawnmowers, and to direct drivers and their cars away from the birds and their eggs. I had the pleasure of observing the beauty of these birds and their behavior up close. When I approached the nest, the mother Killdeer makes a lot of distress calls and fans out its feathers in a protective manner. In some cases, when the mother saw me approaching, she took off running along the ground making noise and faking a broken wing to distract my attention from her nest full of speckled eggs. Killdeer are noted for this diversionary tactic (click here to see video). It felt good to help protect these Killdeer and their eggs.
These are beautiful, sweet little birds in the Plover family of shore birds. Like the Sanderling sandpiper that honors the title page of this website, Killdeer run very fast on their long legs, and are just adorable creatures.
However, today presented a very different reality to me as I learned that for the Memorial Day weekend, the county has agreed to let the Marines stage a mock assault operation using four massive twin prop helicopters filled with combat soldiers in the spirit of honoring those who serve in our military. Fine. I'm all for honoring our troops past and present, and I am indeed mightily impressed with military expertise.
I'll give you but one guess as to where these assault troops and aircraft will be landing . . .
I spent the better part of the day trying to get accurate information regarding the logistics of the event and hoping to persuade officials to have the helicopters land away from the nesting birds. After much discussion with fellow naturalists and a wildlife rehabilitator on what to do, and with no chance of having a few tiny birds deter the Marines from landing, I came to the sad realization that the birds will be blown away – literally, eggs, nests and all. The force of the downdraft from the helicopters massive rotors will blast sticks and stones, flotsam and jetsam, birds and eggs clear off the field. The developing birds within their egg shells will have their first and last flight before they even hatch.
The only chance, which is not ideal, is to try and capture the birds and their eggs, putting them in boxes and removing them temporarily from the landing zone. Once the helicopters and Marines (and the general public) depart the field hours later, the birds will be replaced in the same nesting locations on the field. We can only hope that the parent birds feel okay after this insult and that they choose to reform the nest and accept the eggs for resumed incubation. The odds are not good, but we had to try something. None of us could bear to sit back and watch the destruction. (Click photos below for larger view).
Walking slowly out to one of the nest sites, I sat down just three feet from the Killdeer guarding her eggs. It was about 90 degrees out there and she just stood still over her eggs shading them from the heat, quietly looking at me. She opened her mouth, breathing in and out to help cool down her body. We regarded one another for a few minutes – me with the dreadful knowledge of the future, and she with the powerful instincts passed down from many thousands of generations of Killdeer ancestors. She shifted a bit to look at me squarely as I began to talk to her, explaining the situation and apologizing. It wasn't that I expected the bird to understand a single word I said, but rather I felt a desire to connect in some way, transcending limitations imposed by our two species. Somehow I feel our spirits touched for a moment.
After a while I said goodbye to the bird and walked away. For now, I can only hope for the best as both she and I must await the coming assault. (Read part two of this story here.)
Well, it happened. I was driving home today thinking about our avian house guests and looking forward to seeing them. I hoped to snap a few more photos of their progress. I approached the door of my home carefully so as not to startle the nestling finches. When I looked for them in the nest atop the old christmas wreath, I was surprised, happy, and a bit sad that they had all fledged. In the trees nearby, I could hear all their peeping sort of chatter as they fluttered and hopped among the branches and leaves, chasing their parents for a handout of food. Until now, mom and dad were where the food came from. The fledglings now had to learn to hunt for food themselves.
I have no idea if I will see them again, and a bittersweet moment washes over me at seeing the empty nest. Whether or not I see the birds again, I am still so grateful for their life-affirming presence at my front door. The family of House Finches have inspired me and lifted my mood. They made me smile and laugh, and I took comfort as I lay in bed at night knowing that just outside the door were my fine feathered friends – in the dark, safe, and nestled together in their tiny home on the wreath. And we all dreamed together.
When I got home from work, here is the image I was greeted with. I counted only three of the original five nestlings. The others must have already fledged! These irresistible faces were staring blankly at me as they stood motionless on the rim of their nest. Perhaps the fecal matter piled up in and around their nest provides incentive for them to "get out" as soon as possible! Who knows for sure.
Perched and surveying the landscape, they are perhaps mustering courage for the big leap? (Click to view larger)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 07:59AM 
Killdeer chick photos by Peter Massas
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