hatched!

The babies are here and gone!

I was folding laundry on Tuesday and I looked out Matt's window. I saw our mommy killdeer dutifully sitting on her eggs or so I thought - but then I saw a bit of movement in the rock pile that was too small to be the daddy killdeer. Matt and I raced outside and sure enough there was the sweetest little baby killdeer walking around in those rocks! In our excitement at their birth we startled the whole family and little baby birds were everywhere. All four eggs had hatched and there were four cute little baby birds! So tiny and sweet! And their mom and dad who were chirping away wanting us to leave them all alone. Well, after all our watching and waiting we just wanted a peek at those little guys!

There was a bit of chaos - the neighbor kids came over to see the new little ones.

And then some of the babies wandered into the street.

And then the mom and dad birds really went crazy, chirping and calling them back

And then it started raining and blowing.

And then two cars drove down the street ...but somehow the birds stayed safe.

So we all went inside to give the poor birds a break and just watched them from the window.

Eventually all the birds made it back to the nest and under the safe care of their mom and dad's wings. As we watched thru the evening, the little ones would come out and few times to poke around the rocks but then they would nudge their little heads at their mommy's breast and she would let them climb back in. It was really so amazing to watch. What a miracle to watch this whole process evolve right outside our window!

By the next day the birds had left their nest and were prancing around with mom and dad in the neighbor's grass. And then at lunch time we spotted all of them in the back by the canal. And now they are gone.

We are all a bit sad. But feel blessed to watch them all for the last month. I think I have heard their familiar chirping in back a few times. So perhaps they have taken up residence along the canal bank - It is a bit of a bird refuge there. We have seen ducks, geese, a heron, pheasants and a multitude of smaller birds back there. So maybe if we keep a sharp lookout we will spot our killdeer family again.