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Saturday, 21 June 2014

Cleaning out the wood duck nesting box

This way, mom!
You need a certain amount of equipment: screw driver to remove the screw, and open the door. New bedding material for another potential nester. Daisy - to help supervise. My bug hat is helpful, so long as I don't trap a mosquito in it before placing it on my head. THAT was a pain!



The end result: the last egg to hatch, left in the box. The other 5 shells were removed by mom.
One egg had a malformed baby and didn't get itself out of the egg. Three did not hatch.
Total eggs laid: 9, with 5 live babies videotaped leaving across the vernal pond!


Of course, I had Daisy to help, but a deer came by, too!

Dear helpers from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Down I went to clean out the Wood duck nesting box. Daisy was my helper, despite the mosquitoes, as well as a doe scratching her muzzle on a tree branch. The deer flies are horrible to all critters of the forest, including the cats. We tried to avoid wading through the poison ivy patch. It is dreadful!
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4 comments:

  1. eileeninmd21 June 2014 at 10:27

    How nice of Daisy to help you! I am happy to see 5 of the eggs were hatched.. Happy weekend to you!

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  2. William Kendall21 June 2014 at 16:19

    Daisy is obliged to come and supervise you.

    I'm sure the deer will be happier in a month or so when the bulk of those bugs are done with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Red21 June 2014 at 19:12

    Wood duck reproduction is a very interesting process. Most don't know that they are cavity nesters.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nancy J21 June 2014 at 22:37

    Daisy, a deer, one little one that didn't get to live, all part of nature and life. and the video, Mum calling so loudly, and then 5 babies swimming to her voice. Anyone would have tears of joy to see them together again. I guess the cleaning part is not so nice!!!Cheers,Jean.

    ReplyDelete

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