The ducklings are hatched!

male and female wood ducks

Faithful reader will know I've been following the wood ducks like mad. I've been experimenting with the camera settings, the location of them, whether to use video of photos (the latter being faster). Concentrating on box #3, with 22 eggs, I've been working hard. What a mistake!
You see, I perfected it, only to have to move the cameras.

Boxes #3 and #2.

I've been checking the boxes, not every day, just when I know they are due to hatch or when the female flushes from the nest.

Sunday, May 26th, I opened up box #1 and SURPRISE, there were ducklings. I couldn't see, but the duckling was hatching as I watched. I wasn't even focusing on this box, as I thought it was going to be later. WRONG! I could hear momma yelling at me from the pond. I skedaddled.

May 26th they were hatching. Boxes 2 and 3 still full.

This is from June 3, 2017.


This was five years ago! I've never captured their jump for freedom. June 20, 2014.
Wood ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Stay tuned. We'll see what I capture today. They jump from the nest 24 hours after hatching. I am not confident, but I am hopeful. It's likely this afternoon.

Gardening season is finally here!

We were there in April. The hothouse was full. It was pretty cool around the May long weekend, traditional time for plants in Ontario. I didn't go. The crowds are usually bad.


Back we went on Friday. It was quite busy, and probably half is gone!


You can tell it is spring, a pothole.


I love the dandelions! People are realizing we need not eradicate them with horrid chemicals.


Ta da! Caitlin brought me two planters for Mother's Day, they are coming along nicely. I've planted some of the others with blue wave petunias, geraniums, asters, alyssum, lobelia, and some other fun flowers.


When I bought this planter last year, it was full of cascading petunias and alyssum. Here it was. Beautifully, carefully nurtured in the greenhouse.

We'll see if I can recreate it!  I doubt it, but I'll do my best.


I had two helpers when I was weeding. They left when I hauled out the whipper snipper. The mosquitoes were not dissuaded, however.


The fountain is going great guns. Soon the planter will fill out.


Isn't the aster pretty?! Another impulse buy. I saw lots of shoppers at the nursery. Only one had a list. I didn't feel so bad. Lots of husbands pushing carts, like mine. There was one man, I kept running into him in the aisles, who was thorough and meticulously choosing plants on his own. I just whipped up and down chucking plants on the cart. That's my style!


Butch raccoon has been looking for seeds where the bird feeder used to sit.


I toddled down to the shed, once the cats took off. Phoebe is sitting on her eggs!


The fishies are happy, too. They will be happier when the pond weeds grow and give them some protection.


A morning visitor.
deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Look who turned up in the yard!

A close-up: a young turkey and a deer!


JB called me to the back deck. The Canada Geese, normally down at the pond, or in the meadow,  were taking walkies.

In the front yard... a lone female turkey.

The barrel has pumpkin, squash and zucchini seeds. They JUST began to sprout. Something (Butch raccoon, squirrel?) dug a hole and ate a wee plant. I dug out an old shutter and covered it up. sigh.

I had a camera fail down at the wood duck nesting box. The lower camera is set for video, hopefully to capture the ducklings heading for the wetland. The top one will take photos. (Not if I don't set it to "ON" and close the little door.)

The raccoons keep trying to get into the wood duck boxes. So far, the duck eggs are safe. This is box #2, it holds 12 eggs, and they are due to hatch June 5th.
Butch and the wood duck box from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Visit more critters:

Saturday's Critters #284

Frog pond frenzy

It's been busy at the pond. In the first photo, check out the upper right corner. That's gotta be one of the females leaving the nest box, which was just to the left of the camera. I have to figure out if I can capture the moment when the babies leave the nest. I've tried before, but the trailcams simply aren't quick enough for the little ducklings.





We have had a female merganser.

For the second night in a row, the raccoons try to get into the wood duck box. You wonder... the poor female wood duck,