this is the time of the year that skiddish Wood Ducks have me skulking about my house. Walking past the window in my living room will often flush a pair or two of Woodies from the trees in my back yard. A count on Friday morning had at least 23 Wood Ducks and two pairs of Hooded Mergansers visible from my window. But, only a small part of Quiggley Lake is visible. We have four wood duck houses in the back yard and another in the front. On Saturday I found two eggs in one of the two houses that were easy to check. I wonder how they will fare in the freeze. I suspect that it may be too cold for them to survive.
Last year we had two or three clutches hatch from the back yard. While I don't remember the numbers and will not check my records tonight, one clutch had about 17 of about 26 eggs hatch. A single hen can lay between 6 and 15 eggs (Ehrlich). We have both Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers nesting in our boxes. I have seen both visiting the same box. And even in the same box similtaneous. Mixed broods are not uncommon. I was told be a man who studied Wood Ducks for many years, that if a Wood Duck hen leads a mixed brood out, the Hoodies will almost immediately strike out on their own. But, if a Hoody hen leads the mixed brood out, they will not seperate. We have seen small creches of two or three Hoody chicks on our lake that seemed to raise themselves with no adult interaction observed. They actually appear to be more successful than the Woody clutches which we believe suffer from high levels of predation (snapping turtles?). Paul Ehrlich et. al in "The Birder's Handbook" describes the Wood Duck as monogamous. Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected]
