June 1, 2004

EGGstinct

Who ever said the animal kingdom was blessed with common sense or instinct?

If today's discovery is any indication, then the species of Anas platyrhynchos is in more serious trouble than I had previously thought.

The pair of mallard ducks who had made our cement pond their home early in the spring, laid an egg in this instance. As a matter of fact they laid NINE of them in a nest buried under the honey suckle vines covering the wall of our garage.....FAR, FAR away from the water source in the backyard.

Purely by chance I found the nest buried in behind the vines which unfortunately did not survive the winter. After much waiting, the little green buds of new growth did not appear, so out came the pruners and saw which took the vine down to ground level. As I pick up the last of the dead debris, I brushed my hand over the area and noticed a glint of white. Rather an unusual colour for cedar chip mulch.

Clearing away the leaves and mulch, it was soon evident that the ducks had chosen a poor location for a nest. Here I thought that they had only laid two on the concrete deck around the back.......hmmm, maybe THEY were  decoys for the four legged hunters. 

The poor future hatchlings haven't a hope in hell of quacking open  now.  What to do with nine eggs that have probably developed quite a noxious smell, if they happened to break.?

Hehehe..... I wonder if I should place them some where safe and save em up for Halloween.... They're bound to be good and "ripe" by October 31....muwhahahahahahahaaa.