Black-winged Stilt with Chicks - Dhahran Hills

The Black-winged Stilt that has been nesting on the platform in the middle of the Percolation Pond has now managed to hatch her four eggs and has four very young chicks. This is the second attempt by this pair to breed on the island with the first being unsuccessful at the egg stage. Laurie mentioned the fact he had seen a pair nesting on an island in the Carmargue and the young swam to shore and one of the young has already entered the water (see second photograph). Hopefully it will be alright and either make it back to the platform with the help of its mother or get to shore. The pond is full of weed at the moment so it could easily make it to he bank I would have thought. It is a dangerous place to be for the young Stilts as the adult Grey Heron is always about and it is good at catching and eating young water birds. Lets hope the stilts make it safely to adulthood. One plus for them is that the adult birds make great parents and defend their nest and young aggressively from anything or anyone.