Killdeer Follow-Up

This blog is a follow-up on the Killdeer that is on Westport Town Beach.  The area around its nest has been roped off so that visitors to the beach will not step on the eggs. 





Friday when I visited the nest, the Killdeer stayed on the nest and watched me, but did not leave it. I took a few photographs and then photographed the area showing the roped off portion. 



At that point, I noticed two common  terns on the rocks just offshore, so I went down to photograph them.  Their activities will be in the next blog. 
After spending around the half-hour photographing the terns, I return to the car, and as I pass the nesting area.  The Killdeer did screech at me and leave its nest for a few minutes, which did give me an opportunity to photograph the eggs in the nest and there are now four eggs in the nest.

Not to keep the Killdeer off its nest I left and she immediately went back to the nest and sat on the eggs.  As I said previously, we need to keep our fingers crossed and hope this batch of eggs hatch. 
More updates later.

Killdeer Nesting on Town Beach

As Paul and I were leaving the field station At Allens Pond Sanctuary, a gentleman drove in and came up to us to report on a shorebird at the town beach that he had found on a nest.  The reason he found it, was summoned was walking their dog, and the bird moved.  What he had done prior to coming to see us, was to place a warning sign in front of the nest and have his wife watched the nest.  The gentleman did not know which the identification of the bird.  Paul took out his bird guide, and after looking at various pictures found that the bird was a Killdeer.  We drove down to the beach, the location of the nest was just to the right of the sanctuary boundary and observed the nest with its 2 eggs and the female standing guard.  I obtained a few pictures, we remove the sign and left the bird in peace.  The big problem is that the Killdeer is not a protected bird and that it built its nest.  In an area that is will use by the public.  All we can do is hope the hatching is successful.