Wood Duck (TX1)
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The cam went online April 18th.
| Species: Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) Location: Greenville, TX Status: Eggs began hatching on June 8th, 15 ducklings fledged by June 9th!!! View comments View donor list |
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June 9th - FLEDGING DAY! All 15 ducklings made it
safely out of the box! They will spend the next few weeks with mom in
nearby ponds. Farewell little ducklings!
 15 of 19 eggs hatched! |
 Amazingly, the female conceals almost all her young. |
 This brave duckling took a few practice runs up the ladder. |
 Just over 24 hours since hatching, they begin to leave. |
 This frame captures three ducklings making their way out. |
 Ten ducklings exit within 5 minutes of each other. |
 Two ducklings remain in the nest box together, but not for long. |
 The last little guy tried climbing out for 15 minutes before succeeding! |
 Minutes after fledging, our dedicated cam host removes the unhatched eggs. Thanks Jen! |
June 8 - This series of images was taken from hatching day. In all, 15 of the 19 eggs hatched!
 First egg to crack? |
 Moments later, more eggs began to break open. |
 The hen sits tight with all the activity beneath her. |
 Nice shot of a peaking duckling! |
 About six or eight ducklings hatched. |
 Female can't keep them all contained! |
 Several eggs remain unhatched. |
 Female exits, giving us a view of the dozen or so ducklings. |
 How many ducklings can you count? |
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Jun 6 - The female is not fed by
the male during incubation. As a result, her twice daily feeding bouts
are typically long, lasting anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. |
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Jun 3 - It has been about a month since the first eggs were laid. It could be another week or two before hatching begins. |
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May 31 - Wood Ducks are unique in that they are the only North American duck that routinely produce two broods per season. |
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May 28 - There are still at least 17
eggs in the nest box and a female has been spending about 85% of the
day sitting on the eggs! |
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May 26 - A nice view of the hen's interesting and distinct facial features. |
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May 25 - Many eggs can be seen in this image and hopefully they are fertile and will eventually hatch! |
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May 24 - Wood Duck resident populations are found exclusively in North America. |
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May 23 - A cute shot of the female checking on the eggs. |
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May 22 - The female twists her neck to rub her head on her wing. |
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May 21 - A nice view of the facial striping and mottled breast feathers. |
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May 20 - Wood Ducks are omnivorous
creatures, consuming a variety of food items such as fruit, plant
seeds, and small invertebrates. |
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May 19 - The female covers the eggs before taking a break from the nest. |
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May 18 - This image of visible eggs in the absence of
the female is uncommon because when she leaves the nest box, the eggs
are usually well hidden. |
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May 15 - A partial glimpse of the many eggs the female has been sitting on. |
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May 14 - Two females are in the nest box again today! |
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May 13 - Female Wood Ducks generally lay one egg per day, although they will sometimes skip a day between eggs. |
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May 12 - A clear view showing at least
18 eggs laid! A female has been sitting in the box very
frequently and we hope that incubation is occurring! |
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May 11 - A rare shot of two females in
the nest together. They may both be spending time in the nest
box, but it is difficult to be sure. |
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May 10 - Female Wood Ducks display strong nest-site fidelity, meaning they often return to the same nest used the previous year. |
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May 9 - We can only see about seven
eggs, but our cam host has counted 13 eggs as of yesterday. A
female has been spending a considerable amount of time sitting on the
eggs which may indicate that incubation is taking place. |
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May 7 - A female Wood Duck sits in the nest early this
morning. It is challenging to determine how many females may be
sharing this nest site. |
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May 6 - At least six eggs are seen in
the nest box today. Since the number of eggs is increasing
rapidly, there is reason to believe that egg dumping may be occurring. |
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May 5 - Four eggs are easily seen today, although it is difficult to tell if more are tucked away in the nesting material. |
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May 4 - Our first glimpse of eggs in the second nest box. Two eggs are visible, but there may be more that are hidden. |
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May 3 - Wood Ducks are cavity nesters, but they do not
excavate their own cavities. Instead, they use existing cavities
in trees or artificial nest boxes. |
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May 2 - The female has been visiting the nest box frequently today. This may be a sign that eggs are on the way! |
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Apr. 30 - The cam host placed
the camera in another nest box which is currently being investigated by
a female Wood Duck. We hope this box won't end up with more than 15
eggs! |
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Apr. 22 - The probability that this nest has been abandoned seems to be growing, since we have not seen any sign of a duck today. |
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Apr. 21 - Our cam host reports
that there are approximately 48 eggs in the box! With that many eggs,
it is unlikely to be incubated. |
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Apr. 21 - Egg dumping is fairly common in Wood Ducks and
occurs among other Wood Ducks or species such as Hooded Mergansers. In this
case, we believe at least two Wood Ducks are laying eggs in this box. |
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Apr. 20 - Our cam host reports that there are at least 19 eggs in the box, indicating egg dumping. |