Would you help us with our duck drama?

Enjoy watching them! Show us pictures.

She’s skittish, and won’t let anyone close enough to get a photo, but I’ll try. We’re also keeping the drapes closed, so we’re living in the dark. No matter!

One would assume that eminent domain should supersede the reasoning shortfalls of waterfowl. Forced relocation with the possible consequence of orphaning must be undertaken before the clutch expands exponentially. A big cage trap with the proper lure would be my recommendation and SOON.

On a serious note, if you are in the US, you might not be able to just move them. The MBTA (Migratory Bird Treaty Act) might apply. You could call your local county extension to find out options open to you.

However, if you want them to move on their own, you could just go in and out the front door regularly. They probably won’t like people so close. The male might hiss at you, but I’ve never heard of a duck attacking a person.

And if you REALLY want them to leave, set up a karaoke machine and have a party!

Since you are clearly interested in tolerating and encouraging the adventure, the proper advice is—good luck. The practical advice is therefore pointless. Board up the front door and surrender your yard to the squatters.

To all: I posted this question with the idea of giving us all a chance to follow some lighthearted drama, Instead of the life and death drama of our new reality.

Hubby has a degree in wildlife science, and at this point I know just about as much as he does from studying on my own. We would certainly know how to make them move if we wanted to.

What we really want now is a duck cam! But lacking that I will post pictures as soon as I can figure out the technology.

Quack!

Edit: As an afterthought I will mention that this question was pushed to editing, And I was forced to phrase it in a way so I was asking for help. At any rate the whole idea is to have fun. Please feel free to post your own wild life experiences here as well.

@snowberry It sounds like you are enjoying your new neighbors. Just watch out for their uncle – Scrooge McDuck!

Let them be. As @janbb said, they may be related to Scrooge McDuck. Maybe if you are kind to them, they will make you a millionaire ~

I thought of buying a kiddie pool for them, but that’s a useless expense, because it wouldn’t be used more than a day. That’s because once all the ducklings hatch, the mom takes them directly to water.

Normal mallards nest much closer to water, but this duck isn’t normal! She’ll have a hike!

At this point, there’s one egg in the nest. Eventually there may be as many as twelve. Hubby has gone to bed, so pictures will have to wait. I don’t know how to set that up.

@snowberry Normal mallards nest much closer to water, but this duck isn’t normal! She’s got a hike!

That would make them appreciate the pool even more! :D

Continue to live as before. If the duck doesn’t like it, she can move on.

(FYI – The word “mallard” means wild male duck. You could call the male a mallard drake, or just mallard.)

Continue life, as normal. Nature, will do as it wants.

A baby pool, would be inadvisable. Unless you constructed some form of ramp, so that the ducklings could walk out…

I would leave everything alone. The mother duck, will make the appropriate decisions. As long as she thinks that the egg (s) are healthy, she won’t abandon it/them. She may flee for a while, if people are around. But, she’ll come back…

My thoughts on this situation would be more about the predation from local wildlife and pets. The nocturnal hunters in particular are not about to ignore so convenient a gift.

Yes @stanleybmanly, And we do have foxes and coyotes, but ducks nest on the ground and they always have. The nest is somewhat protected because it’s in a planter against the house and under the eaves a few feet off of the ground, but a predator could easily get to it by stepping off of the porch. It’s a very odd place for a duck to build a nest, but as I said before this is not your ordinary duck! LOL She did have the good sense to build a nest under a bush so it’s pretty well concealed.

@kritiper thanks. I will keep it under advisement.

@MrGrimm888 yes I thought about all that. Unless a store-bought pool were big enough to actually harbor wildlife it would be useless for the little babies. And that is an unnecessary expense. So far she’s deposited one egg, but hasn’t really committed herself to this location. Perhaps it’s still too cold to expect much yet.

The good news is it rained and our pond came back! Hahaha!

Would the pond be big enough for them to swim?

During a hard rain storm maybe the babies could swim in our “pond!” Hahaha!

Our duck came back! We had a heckuva storm here last night with tornadoes all around and hail. I guess she thought the sheltered nest against the house and under the eaves was quite attractive after all that!

A picture of @snowberry‘s duck

The “pond,” when it’s there, is deep enough for newborn ducklings to paddle around at a small spot in our driveway. LOL

You could put a baby pool out there for them.

I’ll sit out there with a garden hose.

A baby pool is not on our shopping list, although we thought of it. It would be fun.

Here is a better picture of @snowberry‘s resident duck.

If you know what to look for, you can see the down from her breast. It’s those blurry white things in the photo. She’s also quite active, compared to how she’s been. She’s poking her bill down into the nest, and is re-arranging things pretty often. I think she’s busy turning her eggs, and incubating in earnest.

Every once in a while she’s positioned so she sees the curtain move and “that floating head” above her. I wish I could snag a photo of her tilting her head so she’s looking up at me! It’s really funny.

“Would you stop your spying? You’re making the kids nervous!”

We’re gonna have us a whole mess of feathery fluther ducklings!

Huge clutch! No raccoons in this neighborhood?

Of course there are. And fox and coyotes too.

She was wise to pick a nesting spot so near humans.
If things go well, she and her mate will return every year.
I wonder if she would stick with the nest if you approached her.
I’m thinking a small enclosure, with an opening for her and hubby to come and go.

Apparently the Robin who built a nest and laid eggs in the dead Boston fern hanging from the front porch was satisfied with the experience last year, and she repeated it this year.

Couple updates from @snowberry. One of the ducklings made a break for it. Snowberry had to track it down., and return it to the nest.

Oh! So adorable!
It doesn’t appear frightened at all.

Thanks to Dutch, I am able to post everything. Here’s the story behind the duck in my hubby’s hand.

Duck Drama Update! The chicks were born last night and Mama Duck let them stretch their legs this morning. Among the group is a prodigal duck that shot off of the ledge where the nest is and ran around to our back yard. Mama Duck had to stay with the nest and it is cold, so there was little chance of it surviving.

Mama Duck quacked and quacked, but it did no good. The little chick was on an adventure! I grabbed my landing net (still smelling like fish) and chased him all over the back yard, finally catching him in the neighbors yard. I took him back to the nest where Mama Duck received him (scolding him a little) but not before getting this picture. All is well again at our house!

There are 12 babies (but I could only count 11 eggs). My goodness, that’s a whole lot of pregnancy!

Wish I could have seen you running around with that net! :-D

The next door neighbors told me that duck nested the same place last year. I suppose it will become a rite of spring! I have a video and a photo coming.

Oh I am so excited that you have return guests! Do you give them special holiday rates, and frequent flyer miles?

My husband says to tell you after she lays her eggs we treat them to a few omelets. Haha!

:-0

They only lay one egg a day. She didn’t have all 12 eggs inside her at the same time.