Summer means yard work and tackling some of the tough parts of the yard. One of the few neglected areas in our yard is the very back by our fence. This is where the compost pile is, where the extra stakes for the tomatoes come to rest, and where poison ivy grows in abundance. Recently while attacking the poison ivy my hubby found a nest of eggs on the ground in the hollow of a tree. There were 5 of them and they were about the size and color of a chicken egg. The wooden spindles you see in the picture are extra tomato stakes -- industrial sized, because the hubby grows amazing tomatoes!
This nest was quite a surprise to us since we hadn't seen any birds of a size that
could lay eggs that big, and we have a dog who is in command of the yard and tolerates no other inhabitants! We kept an eye on the nest and within a few days there were many more eggs surrounded by feathers.
The mystery of who created the nest and laid the eggs was soon solved by Cody, our dog ducktective. He came out to the garden with me in search of dill and while I was engaged with the dill, he surprised the duck who had been sitting on the nest and she flew off. By the time I got to him, he had taken a few sniffs of the eggs, but no harm had been done.
Our neighbors spotted the nesting pair strolling across their yard. So now it was time to take to the internet and research mallard ducks. The first thing I learned was that EVERYTHING eats duck eggs and/or baby ducklings. Yikes! I started to imagine hungry foxes, crows, and possums everywhere! We also had to consider our dog. Keeping him on a leash for a month or more seemed daunting, especially since we have large windows that look out into our backyard and Cody positions himself there ready to keep the yard free of any squirrel that dare to trespass. The ever resourceful hubby fenced in the area around the tree that is serving as home for the nest. The duck goes in and out freely, and the dog stays out.
At last peek, the eggs are covered with feathers, and the duck has started sitting on the eggs. Hopefully in 20-25 days we'll have ducklings.
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