Wood ducks are hatching!!

[BLACKJACK]

Was out walking last night, saw something struggling thru the grass, saw it was a little duck and grabbed him. We were about 30 yards from my 8 acre pond, so I looked thru the grass and pond edge looking for ma duck. No luck. So I started walking around the pond, about 1/2 way around I saw a hen wood duck scurrying away around the pond edge. She was about 40 yards away but I figured that it was my best shot, so I launched Jr. with my best softball pitch, gave him about a 15 yard start. My new kill dog in training saw me toss it, but I was able to stop her and Jr. kept on swimming. Then I circled around the pond and started ma duck and brood back toward Jr., last I saw she was about 20 yards from where I last saw Jr. Now nature has to take over.

I wonder how many other little ducks never make it to the pond? I know I've found dried up fluff balls in wood duck nest boxes when I've checked them.

Another interesting note is that this little guy actually looked like a merganser, little wood ducks are yellow and black, this guy was kind of reddish with a long beak. I know I've seen mixed batches of wood ducks and mergansers in the past, as they swim along the little mergansers will dive while the little wood ducks puddle along. Neat!

[Mark Christianson]

My mom saw an owl swoop down and pick up a little woodie at the cabin last weekend.

[wooduck26]

I was on the Gateway trail here in Oakdale this morning and seen a brood of Woodies and they must have been only a day old at best....they were TINY! my Mallard nesting tube is still vacant on my pond in back.... sortasucks.....Woody!

[BLACKJACK]

woodduck26, I've also had poor luck with the mallard tubes, I don't know what it takes to get them to use them. I have one tube right on the shore line and I've also got a floater with two tubes. The past three years, no takers. Now this year the floater has a duck in it!! This is the only year that I didn't go out and 'refresh' the hay in the tube - coincidence? But now that I have a taker, I may build another one of these floaters this winter.