A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 HELP!!!!!!!!!!

our town pool is open this weekend for memorial day. it's surrounded by a chain link fence. so we are walking around the slide and i hear this bird yelling! i look around and found it on the ground right next to the fence on the outside! was dancing around and yelling at EVERYONE! other people said it was a Killdeer. yes, she faked a hurt wing to lead kids away who were looking and then would up and fly. her nest has 2 eggs and is about 1 inch from the fence!!!! What can we do? can i pick up the nest and move it a few feet away under a tree? do i leave it? any suggestions to help her out. pool is only open weekends till mid junt then it's everyday. will she move the babies once they hatch? or should i just leave her and let her be?

It is best to just let her be. Perhaps you could put up a barrier or warning signs until the mom and babies move on. She doesn't have a nest per se. They just scratch out a depression in the dirt or gravel on the bare ground. Moving the eggs will just confuse her or cause her to abandon them. Best to let what happens happen. The mother and babies may very well be fine.

A couple of saw horses might work. Far enough away so as not to attract a predators attention but to keep people far enough away. Or 4 posts and some surveyors tape.

been there at of all places a racetrack!!!
some folks put up extra lawn chairs and a couple pallets to keep anyone from running over them.
i too witnessed the running away dragging a wing behaviuor. really amazing what some critters will do to protect thier young!!!

I swear the killdeer are stupid. They have nested on the PLAYGROUND at the kids school.

I have heard people to say to do nothing special, the mom will try another nest somewhere if this one is not successful.