A Much Appreciated Duck

We were very pleasantly surprised to discover a duck, bedding down with eggs in some bushes across from our condo! She has been laying them for a while and currently has 14. I was thrilled, of course, because I am a self-proclaimed 'birth-junkie', and always anxious for something to nurture. It was also a much appreciated distraction from the throbbing of my mouth after having three wisdom teeth extracted this morning.

We have decided to call the duck Eva. I don't know if we can do the duckling naming, but we will wait until they start hatching. After some research on safe wild duck diets, I whipped up some corn and tomato peel, and some oatmeal with milk. Needless to say, her initial rejection of the concoction was rather disheartening, but after waddling away to our little retention pond for a bath she returned to her eggs and ate heartily. I was concerned that she wasn't eating after Noah discovered her in the bushes and gave her quite a scare. Apparently she hadn't left her post for about four days and I could tell by looking at her.

The eggs vary in age from 1 to approximately 8 days old. After an investigation of one of the eggs on the perimeter of the nest, I concluded that the egg was either new or poorly developed. I gathered more information and was relieved to learn that it was probably new.

I am thrilled at the prospect of observing these ducks and will probably be a little over-anxious to share the progress with you readers. We will give an update on our little Eva and her brood as time goes on. Thank you for indulging my excitement with your attention!

For the McGehee's,
Chelsey

"And God blessed them, saying, 'Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.'" --Genesis 1:22