A family of killdeer recently set up house in the courtyard behind the Gazette-Journal. The parents have been keeping a keen eye on their young chicks, protecting the brood, who were originally contained in the courtyard itself. According to Wikipedia, the young stay in the nest until the day after being hatched, when they are led by their parents to a feeding territory (generally with dense vegetation where hiding spots are abundant), where the chicks feed themselves. The young then fledge about 31 days after hatching, and breeding first occurs after one year of age. While we’ll miss our feathered neighbors once they move on, the newsroom will be glad to no longer hear the birds’ distinctive, shrill call.
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