Maisie has a nest!

Friday, 16 May 08 (posted about 2 months ago) Sunny 14°C / 57°F

Yes, Maisie has made a nest in our garden and is (we hope) incubating eggs!

This morning, Uncle Frank came to speak to me while I was hanging out the laundry on the line in the garden and said he thought Maisie was in trouble. He’s had one or two duck-related hallucinations (due to the dementia that affects him) since they moved into the garden so I followed him through to the wild border opposite his patio window to find out what was bothering him. He jabbed his walking stick at a clump of agapanthus leaves and said Maisie had been fighting with a seagull in there.

Fortunately he didn’t poke Maisie because there she was, nestled cosily in a down-lined nest of dead bracken and other dry brown foliage right in the centre of the clump, eyes almost closed, watching us tolerantly.

So I reassured him and told him that Maisie had a nest and she was perfectly alright. That didn’t stop him from batting at the bracken fronds around her, saying that he needed to do some gardening, but fortunately she wasn’t frightened.

I said best to leave the gardening for a while …

Anyone know how long ducks sit on their eggs before they hatch?

Want to comment?

Startide Rising wrote:
~30 days

Go, Maisie, go! (Murgatroyd, too!)

Posted on 16 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Iechris wrote:
Good luck to Maisie and her little ones!

Posted on 17 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Spicy wrote:
I just love reading about your ducks! Maisie looks so sweet lying there. How exciting.

Posted on 17 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Trisha wrote:
Very exciting – ducklings are so adorable!

Posted on 17 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Lispet wrote:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/duck-egg-incubation-times.htm

This link suggests that fertile eggs hatch in 28 days, but that ducks will sit on the eggs until they hatch (even if the eggs aren’t fertile and will never hatch). Our neighbour had a duck nest by his front step, but the eggs never hatched and he finally removed them so that she could do something else with her life.

Posted on 19 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Armorel wrote:
That’s a very interesting link, Lispet, thanks for adding it. I think Murgatroyd and the other marauding mallard drakes that ‘drop in’ on Maisie from time to time will ensure that the eggs are fertile ;-) She’s nothing but a shameless hussy!

Posted on 19 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Kristananne wrote:
How exciting! crossing fingers for little ducklings

Posted on 20 May 08 (about 2 months ago)
Armorel wrote:
Thanks Kristanne :-) Maisie is showing all the signs of impending motherhood – ravenous appetite, long spells fast asleep on her nest, placid and content … but no eggs yet :-| So we are keeping our fingers tightly crossed too and hoping!

Posted on 20 May 08 (about 2 months ago)