Killdeer nesting do’s and dont’s (1 Viewer)

Hello. I am new here and work out in rural north dakota on oilwell sites. I recently found a killdeer nest and do not want someone working on the site to accidentally squish or disturb the nest. So i thought of making a little barried around the nest with some larger rocks. However reading about killdeer and nesting habbits is that they build in open areas in order to be as inconspicuous as possible. So i am afraid putting some large rocks around it may just make the nest stand out to predators. Am i better off just leaving it be or would building a little ring of larger rocks around the nest not be a bad idea. Obviously i would give the nest some space and put the rocks a few feet away and leave little gaps between a few of the rocks so the babies could exit the area oce hatched. But i am having second thoughts as i do not want to be the reason a predator was able to find the nest or build a barrier ao the mom or dad didnt see a predator coming close and give it enough time to do its broken wing act in order to lure the predator away from the nest. Am i better off just leaving it be and hoping for the best or would building a small barrier not be a bad idea. Thank you for anyones opinions and knowledge on the matter. Have a great day!

The rocks might not be a bad idea as long as your presence doesn't move the Killdeer away from the nest. Hard to say but in this case I would nature take its course.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum

The attached photo from a trip to Canada last month shows a Killdeer nesting in the car park (parking lot) of a Nature Reserve at Long Point, Ontario. The staff had erected a temporary rope fence around it in order to draw human attention to its presence and to avoid any feet or tyres running over it. Killdeers sit very tight and have an elaborate distraction display to draw potential predators away from the nest, so I'd suggest protecting it from accidental human incursion would be my priority.

What you have suggested with regard to drawing attention actually to the nest to alert workers etc is to my mind the best bet. I did the same with sand and gravel extraction with Little Ringed Plovers - after alerting the site manager:t:
These species have precocious young born fully feathered and cammoflaged so once hatched they can fend for themselves to a certain extent and listen to what their parents tell them unlike..........

Good Birding -

Laurie:t: