I went to feed the ducks this afternoon, and one duck was missing.
It was the wild mallard hen, and when she didn’t show up, I had my suspicions.
The oldest hen in the flock is most likely the first to go broody.
But I also knew mallards are notoriously good at hiding their nests, so I didn’t know where she could have gone.
So I waited a bit while the others ate their mash, and about five minutes into the repast, I saw a form slinking down from the outbuilding about 30 yards away.
Other than Ivan, she is the biggest duck in the flock and has always been a greed hound when it comes to food.
I knew she couldn’t pass it up. She slinked on down to the pond, and I sneaked up and looked for her nest.
I found it between a bit of fencing and the outbuilding.
So let there be ducklings!
I love watching ducklings! Congratulations.
Several pairs of mallards waddling about in our 44 acre little wood mainly near the one pond of any size. Also several pairs of pheasants, except they respond very differently tending to take off in a clumsy noisy panic whereas, as you know, the mallards will usually ignore someone behaving discretely. I just hope they avoid the foxes!
Yeah.
My East Indies used to be great little hiders, too
They look big and healthy!