Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  •  

Nesting Shorebirds Block Sacramento Area High School From Using New Turf Field

  •  Ezra David Romero 
Monday, April 8, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Ezra David Romero / Capital Public Radio

A nesting killdeer walks on the football field at Rio Americano High School.

Ezra David Romero / Capital Public Radio

A pair of nesting shorebirds are preventing Sacramento area high school lacrosse players from practicing and playing games on their brand new field.

Students at Rio Americano High School had hoped to be using a new cork and synthetic turf field by now. But last month construction workers found that two birds called killdeer had laid four eggs in the “I” in the Raiders logo in the east end zone.

“The type of material that's in the ground and the synthetic grass kind of mimics what they need for a nest and I think they saw it, liked it and said this is where we are going to nest,” said Principal Brian Ginter.

As a result, crews put up caution tape and set up a 60-foot perimeter around the nest. The eggs will take about 28 days to incubate, which is still two weeks out.

“For us it was only going to affect one game, so we decided to let the birds hatch,” Ginter said.

The principal isn’t surprised the birds set up shop in the end zone, because the school sits right next to a levee separating it from the American River. He says it’s common for animal sightings on campus, including hawks and rattlesnakes.

The mostly white and brown slender birds have long wings and tails and are marked by black breast bands. They mostly live in open areas like fields and airports, but nest the best near areas with access to shallow water. To distract predators they mimic like they are hurt in a “broken-wing” act.

Even though the birds aren't on state threatened or endangered species lists Ginter says the school will give the couple as much time as they need to nest. A recent Scientific Reports study found kildeer and similar birds such as snipes and terns have experienced recent declines due to rising temperatures.

“There are always going to be winners and losers [of climate change] and we have to decide what we want. Do we want the species that are native to this place? Or do we want a different species that will come eventually come and start affecting the food chain,” said UC Merced’s Mohammad Safeeq, one of the coauthors of the report. The study looked at birds that migrate through Oregon and Northern California from the six-state Great Basin.  

Shorebirds are negatively affected in the west because as temperatures rise summer arrives earlier, which reduces surface water and makes it saltier, says the report's main author, Oregon State Professor Susan Haig.

“If they don’t find water at their breeding sites, specifically fresh water, they won’t be able to survive. It’s a serious situation,” said Haig of the more than 2 million birds that fly over the southern part of the Great Basin every spring.

But back at Rio Americano spring sports that use the field are halted for the time being. Practice will continue to be held at El Camino Fundamental High School until the chicks hatch, their wings dry out and the birds decide to fly away.

"Some parents were upset. Some kids were maybe a little upset. But in the long run you're just teaching them to be patient," Ginter said. "We're sharing the world here. It's not just ours to do with what we want with. So, we decided to let the birds stay and do what they need to do.”


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Ezra David Romero

Former Environment Reporter

Ezra David Romero is a former Environment Reporter at CapRadio.  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Nina Riggio / CalMatters

California wants to force insurers to reward homeowners for fireproofing homes

May 26, 2022

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

Tribes, environmental groups demand better management of the Bay-Delta

May 24, 2022

Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

‘Everyone loses’: Sacramento Valley struggles to survive unprecedented water cuts

May 23, 2022

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

California coronavirus updates: Sacramento County moves from 'low' to 'medium' COVID-19 level

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

California coronavirus updates: Sacramento County moves from 'low' to 'medium' COVID-19 level

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.