We had seen it running around our church's parking lot and assumed it had a nest nearby.
The next time we went to the church, The Man watched where it was before it hopped up and starting running. We found the nest! The concrete blocks were added by us to keep people from running over the eggs. Obviously Mr. & Mrs. Killdeer didn't choose the site on a Sabbath morning! Here is a picture of the four eggs, right in the center.
It's been two weeks since we noticed them, so in another week or so maybe we will see some baby killdeer running around.It has been a few years since The Man has used his bike helmet...actually, it was probably the fall of 2002 when he participated in a mini-triathalon. It is hanging in the bike shed, just in case.
Given the white "evidence" on top and the grass sticking out the bottom, maybe it is time to retire this helmet. The kids told me this nest had two eggs inside.I'm curious. Bad. I know. I really do know better. I really do. I'm so sorry.
The mama flew off, so I thought I would c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y take the strap off the nail and have a peek inside.
I'm curious. Bad. I know. I really do know better. I really do. I'm so sorry. Really, really, I am. Had I known that there were two eggs inside AND two tiny, scrawny, barely-fuzzed babies I NEVER would have touched. I really do know better. However, since I had done the deed, I snapped a picture before carefully returning the helmet strap to the nail.
I'm sorry the picture quality is so bad, but I'm not going back for another picture! The two eggs are on the left and the scrawy birds are in the middle. One is kind of laying on top of the other. Mama bird DID return to the nest. Whew!We finally got a new motor for our wheel line mover.
Look through the big hole in the cover and you will see the new motor is a pretty yellow.
If you look through the small hole you will see that a blackbird assumed this up-until-now unused space was a safe place to build her nest.
Five eggs inside! The mama did return to the nest after we were done moving the wheel line. We will see if the vibrations will affect the eggs/babies, but for now, the mama is dealing with us moving her nest every day. It truly is a mobile home.
Here is the nest of a smarter blackbird. This one is in a clump of mistletoe in the oak tree beside the kids' fort.
These baby blackbird pictures were actually taken 2 years ago in tumbleweed in our fenced garden area. Aren't they some of the cutest/ugliest things you've ever seen.
Here are some eggs that S collected from the henhouse yesterday afternoon.
Since these are headed for the refrigerator we don't expect them to hatch ;-). We did have one hen that was acting broody a few months ago. She was laying her eggs separate from the others. We waited a few weeks to see if she would start laying on them to incubate them, but she never did.
2 comments:
We've had a robin's nest with 4 little blue eggs 2 years in a row now built in my evergreen (Christmas) wreath on the front door -- but both years they haven't hatched. Wonder if they'll come back next year? Maybe next year I will try to take the Christmas wreath down before spring, because once the birds get to it, I have to leave it up, just in case the eggs hatch.
Thank you so much for sharing this post. I laughed so much. Even though the picture was blurry, I could still make out the bird and the eggs in the helmet. I can't wait to show the children tomorrow. The mobile home was the best. lol ;0)
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