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Wild Mallard Duck Made a Nest in Yard

4K views 30 replies 13 participants last post by  philw 
#1 ·
Spring has sprung (even though it snowed yesterday...:001_rolleyes:) and I have a visiter in my yard! We noticed some ducks hanging around our neighborhood (which is uncommon since we live in the foothills). The other day, we figured out why!

A mallard duck made a nest right by our front door! It's actually a very safe spot, since it's raised above the ground and beneath a bush. It's weird that she chose to nest so close to our house; she doesn't seem to be afraid of humans. We entertained the thought that maybe she was someone's pet and escaped. Obviously she's been free for a while if that's the case, seeing as she's well on her way to having a family. We don't want to disturb her too much, though we're keeping an eye out for her. Not entirely sure where she's planning on taking the ducklings when they hatch...there's a pond maybe a mile or so away. Our neighbors have some water features in their yard so that's a possibility as well.

Will post updates if we're lucky enough to see the ducklings before she takes them away. If they stick around for awhile, we've been reading up to see if there's anything we can do to help. Will let neighbors know about the ducks so they can keep an eye on their pets.

I'm a little worried once the ducklings hatch, since we have quite a few predators around us! We have raccoons, foxes, coyotes, hawks, owls, eagles...there was even a mountain lion sighting a few days ago!:eek: But, like I said, she nested right by our house, so the fear of humans should keep the bulk of predators away.

Here's a pic I snapped with my phone, hence the bad quality. Super excited!
 
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#31 ·
Today is May 15th and I'm assuming that the mallard hen and her ducklings have departed....ducks don't stay in the nest more than a day or two. Hoping to hear the rest of the story, and that they're now in a nearby pond or creek. That's how ducks do it.
 
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