Posted by Marie Morrison on June 20, 2008

Q: We have a mallard nesting on 12 eggs on the ground in an enclosed courtyard. (Smart bird - no predators!) We have been leaving her alone except that we have set out water and cracked corn. There are landscape plants but no grass. She hasn't touched the food or water since we placed them in the courtyard 24 hours ago. Should we be concerned? She hasn't moved off the nest except to stand and turn since we first noticed her a few days ago.

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Illinois

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Mallards are very adaptive ducks and this is why they're doing so well - they seem able to coexist with humans. I can understand your eagerness to "help" the incubating duck, but it's best for nature to play out on its own without any interference.

Periodically, often at night, she'll leave the nest to drink and feed but she'll do so elsewhere, not next to the nest. Having food nearby may actually encourage predators and can be counter-productive so it's best to remove this. Don't worry, she "knows" what to do and the less you get involved, the better. If you know the date when she began incubating (sitting on the eggs day and night), you can figure the eggs will hatch within 26-30 days. Not sure what the courtyard is like but if it is enclosed without easy egress, you may need to be on hand to let them out (some kind of gate or door?).

Hope is all goes smoothly. Once the eggs hatch, she'll soon want to leave the nest area and find appropriate habitat for her babies so don't be saddened when she takes them away - you will have done your part. Thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( June 20, 2008)