Names for the ducklings

From Mrs. P's 3rd Grade Sheboygan WI class:

We worked on names today and came up with the following: #3 "Donald", #4 "Daisy", #5 "Cinco" (since we're learning Spanish), #6 "Mayo" (which is May in Spanish).

You kids are sure using your creative skills. Nicely done. I love the mix of English and Spanish. April assures me she'll be able to keep track of who's who.

Wood Duck Dinner

"April" teased us for two nights, foregoing her dinner break as dozens watched ustream.tv/quacker-cam for her to cover the eggs before leaving. Not to be. But tonight she did not disappoint. It's amazing that she leaves not a trace of ever having been there. Anyone or thing peering in would have no clue of the treasure she has hidden below the down blanket.

Hey kids, I need another name. We're down to 14 days until they hatch.

VIDEO -Keeping Warm on Cold Nights

You can see that our hen has so many down feathers pulled from her breast to create the brood patch that ensures direct warmth to the eggs, but also pulled from her back and under her wings. I doubt she has a single one left. The down is mixed with the 4" of pine shavings we placed in the box for her to start with. I'm sure it helps alot on a cold night like last night.

Live cam now available

I'll continue to post the small video clips every couple days of the best activity but incase you'd like to view for yourself, we'll do our best to keep a live stream during the day from 6:00am to 9:00pm. You can link to the live stream via www.ustream.tv/channel/quacker-cam-wood-duck-nesting. Enjoy and thanks for watching.

VIDEO: Breakfast time

The past couple nights have been really chilly and April hasn't left for the usual breakfast break. Today it was a bit warmer and she decided to take the break at 6am. We can watch her preparing to leave the nest, making sure to cover each egg thoroughly.

A Wood Duck's Daily Chores

What does April do in the box all day long? She sleeps, she pulls downy feathers, and she rolls those eggs about every half hour to keep them equally warm on all sides. Today she didn't take a morning breakfast (much to my disappointment as I was outside from 5:00am-8:00 hoping to capture a shot of her leaving). I'll bet she's getting hungry.

April's Down Comforter

The incubation is in full swing. You can see how extensive the downy blanket is she made. April is a dedicated hen. She sits on the nest all day with the exception of a short 30 minute break at about 6:00am and again about 7:00 pm. Not much time to stretch her legs and enjoy a meal with Apollo. Mark your calendar. We should have hatchlings by about May 10th. Maybe every couple days until then, Mrs. Petersen's class would like to come up with 13 names for the chicks. Have fun kids!

VIDEO: Bug in my box

To Mrs. Petersen's 3rd grade class: "April" is incubating her eggs now, apparent as she is on the nest constantly. I believe there are 13, the same as last year. This video shows her getting a small snack while 'working'. I'm setting up a blind at an unintrusive distance and hope to capture her leaving the box in the next few days. There is no sign of "Apollo". He is hiding somewhere, I just haven't found him. Perhaps early in the morning he'll show.

VIDEO: Pulled Downy

Today on day nine of laying, April pulled several downy feathers from her breast. The "brood patch" puts her skin in direct contact to warm the eggs during incubation. This video clip shows her covering the eggs before leaving for the day, hiding her precious creation.

VIDEO- Watch the Wood Duck action!

"April" laid her 8th egg this morning, taking an extra long nap afterward with bill tucked under her wing due to the 25 deg temps. She'll be cautious not to let the temperature of the eggs rise to the minimum incubation temp until she has laid the full brood, 10-15 typically.

Woodduck Egg #3

I've named her April. She's likely the same female that nested last year but I didn't have Quacker Cam then to capture her activities. She arrived at 6:46am much later than yesterday, laid her 3rd egg, covered the grouping of eggs with shavings and departed at 7:55. He waited patiently and the pair flew off to other foraging grounds until tomorrow. Departing helps keep the presence of a nest 'hidden'.

Wood Duck Cam

My husband installed a bird cam in our wood duck box so we can share the joy of nature with you. This is day two of laying. She'll continue to lay one egg per day 10-15 eggs total before incubating. We hope to add live streaming soon so you can see her tend to the eggs up through the big day of fledging the brood.