baby ducks

[icehousebob]

Last Thursday I had to stop for a Mallard hen crossing the road with about ten newly hatched ducklings. And yesterday on my pond there was a Woody hen with a half dozen new ones. It seems to me to be a bit late in the season for hatching. But I didn't see too many ducks hatched earlier in the season in my area. Has this been a weird season for nesting?

[Finlander]

As usual the weather was unusual to say the least this spring and summer so far!

Just last weekend I saw a hen mallard getting chased around by a couple of drakes. So maybe the weather or whatever makes mother nature do what it does, there seems to be breeding still going on. I saw young Canada geese last weekend that were almost full color markings in one family group then to see another family group of geese that the young geese were still yellow!

Definetley double hatches and re-hatches going on!

[LandDr]

I have also seen the same...seen some really full color young geese yesterday and they looked pretty proud to have their full uniform on!

Ducks, geese and pheasants will not have "double" hatches or a second hatch...they will only hatch once and then they are done. They are however prolific "re-nesters". If for some reason they lose a nest, they will keep re-nesting up to 4 or 5 times in an attempt for a successful hatch. The hen you refered to lost her nest somehow...predator, haying, mowing, etc...and came back into breeding. She may be on her third, forth or fifth attempt...just one of the unlucky nesters this spring.

Mother Nature does have her ways!