5/28/09

Fowling around in the marina

Several weeks ago, I put some flower and herb seeds in two tubs of soil on either side of the boat. I was very pleased when I noticed seedlings coming out. Contrary to my husband's belief, I do have a green thumb afterall.

One day, I noticed one tub to be completely messed up, like someone had rummaged through it, making a big hole in the middle. I was baffled, but thought nothing of it. Something in the tub caught my eye the next time I walked by. I decided to investigate. Poking around the soil with a stick, I was surprised to discover two eggs! They were huge. Our boat neighbors and we believed they belong to the pair of mallard ducks that were wandering around our docks a while back. Apparently, they were seeking a safe place to lay their eggs. Now we know the rest of the story.

Since that discovery, I've been monitoring the tub closely. Our duck (we named her Marie) came every morning to lay an egg. She would sit on her nest all morning long. The more eggs she laid, the longer she stayed. On the eighth egg, she stayed from seven in the morning to four in the afternoon. Poor Marie had to endure the hot sun and had nothing to eat during that time. We felt bad for her and tried to feed her without scaring her away.

Anyone knows how many eggs will she lay before she starts the incubation process?

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8 comments:

  1. Hey that's pretty cool!! :) Do you know how long until the eggs are hatched? You might get to be surrogate mommy to a whole bunch of ducklings then :D

    [btw - link exchange activate! I've added you to my "travel" blogroll]

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  2. I had a similar thing happen a few years ago, I found duck eggs outside our front door nested inside a large flower pot. Have fun watching mama duck and her eggs. PS. I love your blog!

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  3. Folks, thank you for visiting!
    @Lynne - I read that it takes 25 - 29 days for the eggs to hatch. I hope Marie stays with her ducklings and whisk them away when all is said and done!

    I have added your link to my blog.

    @Lynn - Glad to hear you like my blog! Suggestions are always welcome. My boat neighbors and we are very excited about the duck nesting and all. Did they make a mess after the eggs are hatched?

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  4. Hi there. Great blog. You left a comment on our site about living aboard magazine / forums. Great article in the latest issue.

    we ended up deciding on sarasota for the summer (versus st. pete) and so far so good (we got in sunday)

    anyway, enjoy!

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  5. Hi Eileen, your blog looks great. Seems like each time I visit, you add something new to it. Did the eggs hatch yet?

    Suet Ying

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  6. Eileen,
    I really enjoyed reading your blog. You did a great job. Regarding how many eggs the mama duck will lay before the incubation process will depends on how many times she made love before she start laying the eggs.
    Is Mary a pretty duck? Eight are a lot of eggs.

    Have a great summer,
    Marwan

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  7. Hi Eileen,

    That mama duck sure looks cozy in her flowerpot nest, and what a view!

    As always, your blog has so much good stuff. You're so creative! You've inspired me to create a slide show on my blog. Can't wait to see what you do next!

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  8. Folks,
    As always, I thank you for visiting. FYI - the eggs are hatched. We got seven cute ducklings!

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