Killdeer Nesting on Eggs

The driveway leading up to my house is a long gravel driveway. Picture wheel ruts filled with gray and white gravel and the odd patch of grass and weeds sprouting up between the ruts.

You would think this would be an inhospitable place for anything to live. It's open without any protection from the sun, wind, and rain. But killdeer is a species that love this type of terrain. They love it for the openness and ability to see predators coming and for how well their eggs blend into the ground.

I had been driving in and out of my driveway and noticing a killdeer always standing in the middle as I drove in. After further investigation (and being screamed at by mom and pop), I realized there was a nest with four eggs square in the middle of the driveway.

How they hadn't been accidentally run over was just amazing and fortunate luck. You absolutely can't see the eggs until you are almost standing on them. And the "nest" consists of nothing more than a small impression made in the gravel and a twig or two for decoration.

For the past several weeks, I've been parking far up the driveway to try not to stress the birds out and not accidentally damage any of the eggs to give them a fighting chance to hatch. All the extra effort to protect the nest from myself and other people coming by the house paid off and all four of the eggs hatched. Within just a few hours, the chicks were dried out (fully feathered) and running around. Hopefully, they all make it.

All this excitement sent me on a chase to learn more about the species. Wikipedia has the most information but a few highlights:

• Their migratory range spans from Canada down to South America.
• Both parents incubate the eggs (22-28 days).
• Chicks hatch mostly mature, fully feathered, and walking as soon as they dry off.
• Parents act injured (broken wing display) to lure predators away from the nest.

Below you can see some photos of them on their nest as well as a few of the chicks that hadn't run off just yet.