We were taken by surprise this morning when I turned on 'duck TV' and saw a mallard sitting on the eggs in the nest box. She stayed for several hours and then left without covering up the eggs. After she'd gone I noticed another female mallard swimming backwards and forwards by the entrance to the box as if wanting to go into it but not having the courage. From her behaviour I think she was the same mallard that wanted to enter the box when Lonely was inside. Whether she was the first to lay claim to the box but lost out I don't know.
Nine eggs in the nest
The last time I looked inside the nest there were only 6 eggs so some duck has been busy when I haven't been watching! Every time we've looked at the nest via the camera through our TV nothing seemed to have changed so we assumed that the nest had been abandoned. The good news, so far, is that the mop curtain seems to have kept the crow away.
We think it was the creamy tailed duck in the box but we shall probably know for sure after a few days. Unless, of course, there's more nest swapping!
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