Killdeer Nest in my Driveway, can it be moved? (2 Viewers)

Hope this is the right area to post this in.

I recently had a pair of Killdeer make a nest in the center of my gravel driveway (its long, they are in the center area that isn't driven on). It now (as of yesterday) has three eggs in it.

So now when I drive by, they of course freak out and try to scare me away.

My question is, is there ANYWAY I can move the nest about 8ft to one side of the driveway and have them still be ok with it? I am really afraid the eggs wont survive the month it takes for them to hatch.

Thanks!

Stuka said:

My question is, is there ANYWAY I can move the nest about 8ft to one side of the driveway and have them still be ok with it? I am really afraid the eggs wont survive the month it takes for them to hatch.

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Probably not: my guess would be that if you moved the eggs, the parents would desert. What’s wrong with leaving the eggs where they are & seeing what happens? Killdeer are famous for breeding in parking lots and other unsuitable places yet they continue to thrive.

I am thinking I will have to see how things go for them. It will be interesting to see if they survive other wildlife as well. As we have a lot of foxes, coyotes, Racoons, etc.

They are neat birds though. Was surprised to see one so far from the ocean.

Stuka,

These birds often nest on driveways ... and parking lots ... and flat rooftops. Anywhere that has gravel. (By the way, they're inland birds, not particularly keen on being close to water). As long as you can avoid having people drive right over the nest, they should be fine (or, at least, no worse off than Killdeer in other, more naturalist settings). May I suggest that you put some sort of barrier right around the nest, so that people who are unaware of the nest don't come in and drive over it?

There is parking lot down near Long Point where the Killdeer nested for many years running (and perhaps still do). Somebody just put a couple of those orange traffic cones around it ... as far as I know, it produced fledglings every time.

Stuka said:

They are neat birds though. Was surprised to see one so far from the ocean.

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Actually, Killdeer are primarily inland birds, more often associated with fresh water than with salt. But they also commonly live & breed in dry habitats far from water.

And I agree, they are neat birds.

Peter C. said:

Stuka,

These birds often nest on driveways ... and parking lots ... and flat rooftops. Anywhere that has gravel. (By the way, they're inland birds, not particularly keen on being close to water). As long as you can avoid having people drive right over the nest, they should be fine (or, at least, no worse off than Killdeer in other, more naturalist settings). May I suggest that you put some sort of barrier right around the nest, so that people who are unaware of the nest don't come in and drive over it?

There is parking lot down near Long Point where the Killdeer nested for many years running (and perhaps still do). Somebody just put a couple of those orange traffic cones around it ... as far as I know, it produced fledglings every time.

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Unfortunately, to do this people would have to drive off the side of the driveway to get around. Which isnt a huge issue, but if they are in a low sitting car they may be a bit annoyed.

I will have to get some photos. The eggs are quite cool looking with all their spots.

Stuka,

I would say you are blessed to have such amazing birds choosing to nest on your drive! Be careful, mark the nest, the eggs will soon hatch!

I have seen one Killdeer here in UK, they are very rare here. Great birds!

Cheers G

Is your driveway long enough to park in just the part in front of the nest?
However, I wouldn't be all that surpriesd for a nest to be succesful if its only driven over carefully no more than a few times a day.

Had a nest in my driveway once. I put up a small rock pile about 4 feet in front of it then put a little road cone in front of that so the nest didn't get run over. Everyday when I came home the mother would do her "broken wing" trick to lure me away. The nest did fine. Things got a bit more complicated when the little yellow cotton balls with legs began running around in the driveway. It was fun though.

Do you have a wildlife rescue or some kind of wildlife management in your area? They may be able to help, but would strongly caution you NOT to move the nest.

Luckily, the eggs will hatch in about 28 days (just watch out for the chicks for the next few days afterward, too).

Secretly (ha ha, public forum), there's a way to move the eggs, but contact a very knowledgeable wildlife biologist or other person familiar with these birds. For one, moving or messing with these eggs might cause the killdeer to totally abandon the nest site. Also, if you don't do it exactly right (keep the eggs in the same position, move all gravel pieces and set them up exactly the right way, and move it in small increments allowing the parents to return to the nest after each move), the chicks could die in the eggs and they won't hatch. The lighting and temperature has to be the same at the new location.

I have heard success stories about people moving nests, but it's tricky.

Also, as you probably know, you can get fined for each egg that is "disturbed" if the wildlife enforcement finds out what you are doing. But, the same can go for destroying the nest by driving over it. So, I don't want to encourage you to do anything that will get you in trouble with the authorities. But, try asking around, you might be surprised and get someone to help you with this, legally.

I nearly walked into a nesting Killdeer in Florida last week which was situated in the middle of a parking area. Took some great pictures of the male trying to distract me away from the nest, which had four eggs. Hope they survive and hatch successfully

Sounds like the Masked Lapwings in Cairns. They will routinely nest in parking lots, driveways, and any patch of open ground right in the middle of the city. It's not uncommon to see tiny fluffy chicks with enormous feet wandering about on the pavement outside busy shops.

chowchilla said:

Sounds like the Masked Lapwings in Cairns. They will routinely nest in parking lots, driveways, and any patch of open ground right in the middle of the city. It's not uncommon to see tiny fluffy chicks with enormous feet wandering about on the pavement outside busy shops.

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Awww, that has to be cute, especially since killdeer chicks look very similar to the Masked Lapwing chicks at first.