By Deb Nickerson
Last month we told you about a small fencing project on the grounds of Pioneer Elementary School to protect a nesting pair of Killdeer that have returned to the gravel area of the school. I wanted to share with you a photo of the first chick of the season. Nature does not reject irony however; perhaps because of the school closure which occurred just days after the pair returned, and the less disturbed area ripe for more natural predators, there has only been one chick seen and even that little one has disappeared in the last few days of April. Crows? A Sharpie? A Coopers? Dogs? Coyotes? We can only speculate as to what happened while we were not around observing, but fate has reared its head.
Nature proceeds despite our best efforts sometimes. And yet, during this COVID-19 crisis, we have all heard of places where wild animals have ventured in to previously densely populated spaces. Hooray for nature taking advantage where and when it can. If this pair of Killdeer have another clutch, I hope it is more successful in terms of survival rate.
