Wood Duck Movies

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Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

The location of this box made it logistically impossible to send real time images over the Internet, but the following movies were made thanks to our cam hosts in Texas. Scroll down to view the still images captured during hatching and fledging day.

YEAR/DATE	LOCATION	BEHAVIOR	SIZE
3/20/07	Italy, TX	Leap of faith from 35 feet!	3.6 MB
7/7/06	Greenville, TX	On mom's back (audio included)	2.3 MB
7/7/06	Greenville, TX	Nine ducklings fledge! (audio included)	12.1 MB
4/22/2006	Greenville, TX	Female incubating 20 eggs	1.8 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Mom in box with 17 chicks	2.2 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Fledging frenzy, inside box	2.2 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Fledging frenzy 2, inside box	2.1 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Fledging frenzy 3, inside box	1.7 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Ten chicks left	2.3 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Four chicks left inside	2.3 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Three chicks left inside	2.2 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	One lone chick	2 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Fledging, mom chasing off crows	2.2 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Jumping 1	3 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Jumping 2	3 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Jumping 3	02.5 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Jumping 4	2.5 MB
5/14/2006	Greenville, TX	Jumping with female in foreground	2 MB

	---------------------------------------------------------------------- May 14 - Empty box showing three unhatched eggs. The ducklings will be cared for by the female alone until they are about 8 weeks old, at which time they are able to fly and fend for themselves.
	Last little duckling.....
	Now just two!
	Only three left!
	Within 15 minutes, all 17 young quickly find their way out of the box.
	Using their sharp claws, they use the ladder inside the wall of the box to climb out the entrance hole.
	The female waits outside the box calling for the ducklings to come out.
	May 14 - FLEDGING DAY! After just 24 hours in the nest, the precocial young, all 17 of them, are ready to fledge from the box. The still images show the progression from inside the box. To see a different view, watch the movie files above, which shows the ducklings from the outside of the box taking their first leap!
	----------------------------------------------------------------------- Of the 20 eggs laid, 17 hatched!
	Normal clutch sizes from Wood Ducks are between 6 and 15 eggs. It is very likely that another female dumped several eggs into this box
	The female Wood Duck assists the ducklings as they emerge from their shells.
	May 13 - HATCHING DAY! The bottom left corner of the image shows one of the first eggs to have hatched open.