Wild ducks have laid eggs in my plant pot!
Discussion
Quick update!
I just spotted Henrietta off the nest in another part of the garden so I had quick water of the strawberries in her plant pot and a quick egg count........ we are up to 11
She has really gone to town with the straw and feathers, the eggs are completely hidden. I took a quick pic with the nest as she left it and made sure to put everything back as it was after I counted the eggs. I put some more straw at the back of the plant pot in case she wants to use it
I just spotted Henrietta off the nest in another part of the garden so I had quick water of the strawberries in her plant pot and a quick egg count........ we are up to 11
She has really gone to town with the straw and feathers, the eggs are completely hidden. I took a quick pic with the nest as she left it and made sure to put everything back as it was after I counted the eggs. I put some more straw at the back of the plant pot in case she wants to use it
She's back on the nest already, I didn't even see her return. Could it be she saw me checking out her nest to take a pic and that made her rush back? Or do ducks not think like that? I took a pic of her but she hissed at me, she is no more tame than the first day she landed in the garden 
actionjack said:
So disappointed by the lack of updates to this thread....
Hopefully you won't cock it up like you did the first time she layed some eggs.... FFS...
Please accept my apologies! Hopefully you won't cock it up like you did the first time she layed some eggs.... FFS...
I could take a pic each day and post but I don't know how much interest that would be? Truth be told, not much is happening. Henrietta is still on the nest all day every day, no sign of any of the eggs hatching yet although it can't be much longer?
I just went outside and took a pic. She gave me the stink eye and hissed slightly as she doesnt like being looked at directly
Toilet Duck said:
Please accept my apologies!
I could take a pic each day and post but I don't know how much interest that would be? Truth be told, not much is happening. Henrietta is still on the nest all day every day, no sign of any of the eggs hatching yet although it can't be much longer?
I just went outside and took a pic. She gave me the stink eye and hissed slightly as she doesnt like being looked at directly
It is strangely fascinating to be honest but I cant help wondering that the job of a female duck is more boring than me in lockdown. She just sits there for hours doing nothing, I know the outcome is amazing but they do go through a lot to get the end result. I could take a pic each day and post but I don't know how much interest that would be? Truth be told, not much is happening. Henrietta is still on the nest all day every day, no sign of any of the eggs hatching yet although it can't be much longer?
I just went outside and took a pic. She gave me the stink eye and hissed slightly as she doesnt like being looked at directly
What amuses me is I never see Henrietta move whilst she's on the nest. She does change position, but I never catch her doing it. She also has a sixth sense as whenever I slowly stick my head out the opem back door to check on her, she's already looking at me. She does the same when I look out a side window on the same wall as the plant pot; she's always looking back at me as I slowly peek out
Toilet Duck said:
What amuses me is I never see Henrietta move whilst she's on the nest. She does change position, but I never catch her doing it. She also has a sixth sense as whenever I slowly stick my head out the opem back door to check on her, she's already looking at me. She does the same when I look out a side window on the same wall as the plant pot; she's always looking back at me as I slowly peek out
Just to prove it, I just took a couple of covert pics out the side window, and there she is giving me the stink eye:
One failure, one success for me this year. Elvira decided it was a great idea to nest in the planter next to the back door, which was lovely until the first one hatched. Down she hops to get food and water, down hops the hatchling. I managed to catch it, and pop it back 3ft up a few times, but then she did it when I wasn't around for a while - she chose to stay with the rest of the eggs, which didn't hatch. Duck Two (running out of imagination), hatched four, and unusually, rather than vanishing to the pond, has chosen to stick around , which is lovely. She's still very wary, and not hand feeding, but the four littel ones are peeping away merrily.
randlemarcus said:
One failure, one success for me this year. Elvira decided it was a great idea to nest in the planter next to the back door, which was lovely until the first one hatched. Down she hops to get food and water, down hops the hatchling. I managed to catch it, and pop it back 3ft up a few times, but then she did it when I wasn't around for a while - she chose to stay with the rest of the eggs, which didn't hatch. Duck Two (running out of imagination), hatched four, and unusually, rather than vanishing to the pond, has chosen to stick around , which is lovely. She's still very wary, and not hand feeding, but the four littel ones are peeping away merrily.
PICTURES!Toilet Duck said:
What amuses me is I never see Henrietta move whilst she's on the nest. She does change position, but I never catch her doing it. She also has a sixth sense as whenever I slowly stick my head out the opem back door to check on her, she's already looking at me. She does the same when I look out a side window on the same wall as the plant pot; she's always looking back at me as I slowly peek out
We had a Collared Dove make a nest on the Sky Dish outside our bedroom window and it was the same - no matter what time of day or night you snuck a look out she would always look up at you! No pics as she sat on the nest for a week then never sat there again.Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff