Mallards, as we all know, are pretty common birds, found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, they are the duck that springs to mind when most people think of a duck. Yet it was an uncommon sight that greeted me the other day when I crested the hill behind my house heading for the bog. There was my dog, running full tilt up the trail with a female mallard flying low and just inches in front of him. Hollering for him to stop didn’t do any good, and I kept just willing her to gain altitude when it dawned on me, she is doing this on purpose. Leading him on a merry chase far from, goodness, what must be her nest nearby. Now the surprise in this is that it must be at least a quarter mile to the water, maybe more and in my mind it seemed odd she should choose to nest this far in the woods. But perhaps that is not so surprising, at least not out of the question.
Thankfully the dog came back empty handed, and I saw her circle us from above. Now, to look for the nest.
And there it was, no more than 5 feet off the main trail, behind a pitch pine, and thankfully somewhat guarded by Catbriar, but still, too close to this oft used trail for comfort. I would question the advice she got from her realtor on this issue, “seldom used country lane” perhaps she was told. But used enough, and by dogs. Of course I jest, the female and the male scout the nearby territory to find something suitable, and it is all on her shoulders to choose. Perhaps at the right time of day this seemed a lovely spot. Well, the next morning when I walked by, the eggs were gone. And I thought whoa, preyed upon already? But there were no broken shells, no sign of disturbance. Hmm, had she moved them, I think I have heard they can do this, but how I don’t know, rolling them along? Carrying them in their beak? I don’t know. Then to keep this mystery going, today, they were back! No action-cam set up to catch this. Were they new eggs, or did she move them back? I really can’t say with any certainty, just that this will be fascinating to watch.
Mallards do take a few days to lay their clutch then the female would begin incubating them for much of the day. The pond that I saw them sporting about on is, as I said, probably a quarter mile or so from here, and when you see a pair on a spot for a few weeks and defending it, you assume that is their territory and that the nest must be nearby. But although it is their territory, it is not where the nest will be. And for this season, she just has strayed perhaps a little further than usual. This morning I saw her circling nearby, but being chased by a crow. Who also is defending the right to keep his family’s nest a secret. The woods are full of such intrigue at this time of year. So, as I said, we will see if this is a nest that in the end works for her, or if she will have to start again in spot less traversed by one and all.
The nest is beautiful, a good foot across and rimmed with her plucked downy feathers. When she leaves the nest she will cover the eggs with the down to keep them warm, which wasn’t what happened the other day, they weren’t just covered, they simply weren’t there. It would be something if she made it all the way to ducklings at this spot. I saw a young coyote not terribly far from here the other day, so it would seem an easy place for predators to find too, but I wish her well.
And it will make that first morning walk full of intrigue for me, and also a call for a leash for my dog.
Just another side duck note, for the last 4 days or so I have seen a Blue Winged Teal pair hanging about on the slough and pond and would that not be lovely if they decided to nest here too.
Perhaps they are just passing through and enjoying finding things pretty much to themselves for the moment. Unlikely I would spot their nest for it is usually hidden at the waters edge, a hollow lined with down also, but if they continue to stick around one could hope. Far more rare than our Mallard, at least in my area but able to find happiness in the smallest of water areas. They don’t dive under for food but just skim off the top and they don’t need a huge space to get running along the water to gain altitude but lift up almost immediately. So again, we shall see. Its why walking the same area each day has its own intrigue, its own plot line to follow. I will keep you posted.
Although let me say here, with my return home from TN and a return to a busier time at work, and a move that hovers overhead like a gray cloud, I have not found as much time for to write this as I would like. Spring Azures are out
and I didn’t mention them, and the Queen Bumblebees are flying low over the leaves looking for a suitable nest sight to start their broods. Life is finally waking up here in the Northeast and it would be nice to have time to talk about it. But we shall do what we can, when we can. For anyone south of this latitude, you are well ahead of us anyway and this is all old news! May you be enjoying whatever mysteries present themselves at your door as I shall enjoy mine.
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