Anyone know about mama ducks? I was checking on my flowers this morning and was surprised (and a little scared) by a duck that came wildly flapping out of a bush just near our front window. She flew away only for me to discover she has a nest with about 8 very large eggs in them. I've been quietly watching and waiting for 15 minutes for her to return but she hasn't yet. Will she come back???? I did not touch the nest or the bush, just now plagued with my own mommy guilt for messing up another mommy's day! I know, on the scale of major world problems, not a big one but still a little worried I spooked her off permanently :-(
So duck whisperers out there in MMP land, tell me it'll be ok!
Great! Thanks ladies, hopefully she will be ok with a little activity because I do have to water my flowers in that area every few days but I will be extra careful to keep my distance from that particular bush. I thought ducks would have nests near water?? We are no where near water so how does she get her babies to water later after they are born???
This made me smile, but yes as others have said she will come back, and likely will come back year after year.
Wild animals leave their eggs/babies alone for long periods of time, much more than people realize. Most likely she will return to the nest before the day is over.
Rabbits and deer do this too. Baby rabbits are left alone in their nest most of the day. The mother only returns to the nest twice a day (morning and night) to nurse them, and then she leaves again. She is off feeding and in some ways, it is safer because she is not attracting potential predators to where the babies are. But many people don't realize this, and will mistakenly believe that something has happened to her and end up taking the baby rabbits in someplace. Problem is, baby rabbits never survive being hand-raised in captivity - they almost always die within 2 to 3 days. If people would just leave the baby rabbits alone, the mother rabbit will return and they will be fine.
She will be back! You will be rewarded with cute baby ducklings ...and duck poo.
Just be glad it's a duck and not a Canada goose. They're pretty but can be VERY aggressive, and the poop situation is....dire!
I would contact your local wildlife agency if you want some tips on how to make the duck family comfortable in your yard. The agency might have suggestions about what to do and not do regarding gardening near them, etc. You could ask about the "why aren't they near water?" question. And agencies like to know how wildlife is faring anyway so they'd be glad to hear from you.
Also, if you have younger kids, do be sure to keep them away -- they will be curious, but animals can be quite aggressive about defending nests.
Don't worry. She'll come back. We have stock pond, and have had ducks and geese for years. The mamas always come back to their eggs. Sometimes they share responsibilities for sitting on the eggs, so it's not always the same duck sitting. Enjoy your feathered friends!
She'll be back. How cool!!
You might offer her some bread.
She'll be back. Just avoid the area until her babies hatch.
Leave her alone, but keep an eye out for neighbors' cats.
All you can do is stay away from that area and keep your fingers crossed. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but something very similar happened in our yard when I was a kid and Mama Mallard never returned. We also didn't touch the nest or anything, but I guess she was just too spooked.
She will return to the nest. They don't sit there all day and you might see the male duck show up as well.
Yep, she's mad and scared now, but she'll return. Stay away from it as long as possible so she gets the chance to return.
