Mon 5/7 UBNA and Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)

Today I walked around UBNA looking for waterfowl, but to my dismay I did not see very many waterfowl at all! In fact, the only specimen I did see was one lone duckling in the pond, surrounded by lily pads (Nymphaeaceae). What a let down!

The trail

The sky: Partially cloudy (clouds about 25%)

Wetland in UBNA

The one mallard I saw in the pond

Lily pads

It was a nice day (upper 60s-low 70s!) and I was already down at the CUH planting corn for my urban farm class. While we were planting, we saw the coolest thing... a small bird nest tucked away in a row of lettuce mottistone! It had 4 speckled eggs, each about 1 inch in length.

I'm a little worried about the placement of these eggs, as they could easily be broken by an unaware farmer's shovel. It turns out that they are killdeer eggs, as I saw the mother bird return to protect her eggs soon after we gathered around her. I think all the attention made her nervous.

The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a plover (a shorebird! maybe qualifies for our waterfowl project?) They have a white breast and belly, brown back/wings, and reddish orange eyes. The breast also has 2 black bands. The Killdeer nests on the ground (as seen at the CUH) and are also seen running/walking along the ground in distinct spurts. They break into flight when they are disturbed. They prefer open spaces/fields with low vegetation (like the CUH). Killdeer can swim as they are shorebirds; they are also found on sandbars and mudlflats, but seldom actually in the water. Killdeer are opportunistic foragers who feed mainly on invertebrates (earthworms, insects, snails, etc) but have also been known to eat dead minnows, frogs, and other small creatures.

Posted on June 5, 2012 05:04 AM by kates17