Avocet saga

Avocets had a long courtship at Belmar Park.  In early May I thought they might be nesting, so many times I saw them feeding together away from the island that I was not certain if eggs had been laid.  Then one week the  (likely)  male was chasing all other birds away from a section of the island shore.  Even a Great Blue Heron yielded its bit of shoreline to the insistent Avocet.  One morning I saw a tiny Avocet chick on the far side of the lake with adults nearby, who were chasing off Mallard families and Spotted Sandpipers.  The next morning I saw 2 tiny fuzz-balls with legs walking the shoreline, closely guarded by parent Avocets. 
A week later they were in a more accessible location and I could take better photos.  A few days later I could see only one chick feeding along the lakeshore. Parents were not chasing away other birds as they had previously.  When I returned from my niece's wedding I could not find any little chicks, altho the adult Avocets were still feeding in the lake.  So sad to see the nesting efforts not be successful.

Chicks have big feet from the beginning.

"Mom  where are you ?"

Walking across the mudflats with those big feet.