Quack Quack

A duck laid an egg on my lawn the other day. I went in the house to take some groceries in. I came out about an hour later to go somewhere and saw an egg laying right out in the open with some feathers by it. No other signs of the mom duck. I did not really know what to do with the egg. The duck has not come back to sit on it so I am sure the egg is a goner. Now I have a small egg incubator on its way for the next time. I believe the duck was a mallard just because mallards come around my yard quite often. One spent a summer eating bird seed that had dropped onto the ground from the feeders. It could be any kind of duck, though. Also, I was talking a walk around the pond the other day. I ran across 2 duck eggs. They were both very close to the water's egde and not even in nests. They were just laying on the short grass. I thought this was odd but I really don't know about ducks' laying habits. When I came back around the pond, the one egg was in the water and the other one I guess meet the same fate. I pulled the one egg out and set it back on the grass but then I spotted a toddler waddling over to pick it up. You know the rest of the story.

Well, I did some research on mallard ducks. They lay a bunch of eggs, about one a day, in a nest or wherever they go. When the duck is done laying, she starts sitting on them for incubation. If duck eggs are laid all over the place instead of in one nest, it could be a sign that a predator is in the area. This way the eggs will have a better chance of survival. So, the eggs can sit outside for many days and still be fine until incubation begins depending on how low the temperature gets. I will try to hatch the egg I found. I guess the mom stays near the ditch across the street.

(top photo: YNP archives, bottom photo: duck at my house)