[birdky] BKY: RPT - Suprise, surprise ... look what the stork -- uh -- coot dropped off!

I have been doing some bird survey work at a Peabody Coal Company facility
in Union County off and on for about a year and a half.  This site has an
extensive marshy pond of open water and reeds (Phragmites).  Yesterday, I
was pleased to find at least THREE pairs of American Coots attending their
cute little chicks!  I watched this site last summer for nesting marsh birds
but came up with nothing; this year, I guess because there is more water, a
relatively substantial number of coots have lingered, and it is apparent
that as many as a dozen pairs may be present at this pond.  I've seen many
cute things while birding, but you haven't seen CUTE until you've seen one
of these gangly little red-billed, orange-headed fellows fluttering it's
stumpy little wings and drooping it's head to the water, begging for a
morsel from one of it's parents!  The adults are very wary and attentive.  I
was surprised to see them actually feeding the chicks; something I just
hadn't stopped to think about, but I read today that the adults do, in deed,
feed the youngsters for up to two weeks.  Moreover, it seems that the male
watches over and feeds some of the brood and the female takes care of the
others.  Yesterday, dragonfly larvae appeared to be the popular high-protein
food item for the young, while the adults munched on algae for themselves.
I was surprised that even though the chicks were all small, there were only
2-3 per brood.  Not sure if this is because of predation or if clutch size
could be small here in the south??  

Nesting of coots in KY is a real cloudy issue; although at least four
sources allude to nesting, I have found that NONE actually refers to it for
sure except UNSUCCESSFUL nesting at the Woodburn transient lakes in the
1930s and '40s (nests that were destroyed by rising or falling water
levels). So this, in fact, may be the first documented nesting of what has
to be one of our most distinguished and much loved waterbirds :o)

Other birds of interest at this area included a Common Moorhen (also not
present last summer); three calling Least Bitterns; two Pied-billed Grebes,
several male Blue-winged Teal (females on nests??); and about a dozen Ruddy
Ducks (most gorgeous adult males, some performing their courtship displays).
I am curious if it could be possible the Ruddys may be nesting as well as
the collection of loafing males looked suspiciously similar to the loafing
male Mallards and teal????  

BPB, Louisville
brainard.palmer-ball@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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