There are many ducklings and many unhatched eggs too. They will jump today.

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I’ve been waiting for the East duck to go out for supper so I can get a better look at how many ducklings have hatched. It’s now getting dark here so I don’t think she will leave this evening. She will leave tomorrow morning for a while and give us a look; they always go out for breakfast. It’s impossible to actually count a pile of little dark feathers but I have noticed many unhatched eggs when she moves – not a good sign. With the one merganser fully out and dry earlier today with no other ducklings hatched, it’s going to be hit-and-miss for the other ducklings. Some may not hatch in time. Some might hatch but not be strong enough to go when the others leave. Just now I saw one egg that is cracked with a duckling trying to get out.

Historically I am very good at predicting behavior that does not occur, and vice versa. However … I don’t recall ever seeing ducklings that hatch during the day stay in the nest for 2 nights. (If they’ve hatched overnight then they typically stay all through the next day and the next night; however, ducklings hatched during the afternoon today so I predict that they will jump tomorrow. We’ll see if that’s right about tomorrow. One possibility: because they hatched late perhaps she will wait until later in the morning, or perhaps not! We’ll be watching. Three cameras are on. (Go to birdsgv.com and use the Live Cameras button.)

As for what to expect, I’ve created a page about that to save from repeating it in the blog each time a Jump Day happens. Here’s a link.

The East duck is away right now, revealing one very dry and fluffy merganser duckling that hatched some time ago. None of them had hatched this morning at 7:00. They probably will leave the nest tomorrow morning.

The ground level camera looks blurry because it is inside of a plastic film to keep rain away, and there are raindrops on it.

When I checked the East nest an hour ago about half of the eggs were pipped (slightly broken by the duckling). The ducklings do that 24 to 48 hours before they hatch, so expect to see little ducklings sometime soon. I’ve learned in past years that predicting the actual day or time doesn’t work, but in any case it will be soon.

One of the eggs was in the corner and very cold. There will be some unhatched eggs I’m sure. Hopefully there won’t be any ducklings that hatch late and are not strong enough to leave with the others, but that can occur too. I think the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will take them this year.

For information about hatching and jumping, please see the information page at my web site. It’s linked from the birdsgv.com home page if you scroll down to the “Ducks Info” button, or here is a direct link to the information page.

I’ve set up another camera so there are now 3 views of the East nest: inside, outside looking down, and ground level. Here’s a direct link to the cameras.

We have storms predicted here over the coming two or three days which might mean the ducklings leave the nest during a rain storm. The creek is also very responsive: whenever it rains the creek rises and flows faster which has caused problems for the little ducks in the past. It’s never easy to be a little duck!

[Note: The cameras were down this morning. We had a power outage here due to a storm last night. So if you tried to watch then but only saw a spinning waiting-for-connection indicator, that’s why.]

The East nest is closing in on hatching day as measured from the start of incubation. The exact start day is never quite clear because the duck may stay overnight in the nest box during the early days without heating the eggs. Also the incubation duration can vary by many days (web info says 28 to 37 days). Therefore as the possible hatching day gets close I try to check every day when the duck has left the nest for supper, to see if the eggs are “pipped”.

That’s what it’s called when the duckling pecks a little hole in the eggshell. They do that 24 hours or so before they hatch so it’s the best early indicator of when hatching will occur. If you’re watching the cameras when I check you will see me handling many of the eggs without removing them. It’s faster and easier to tell if there is a little rough broken spot by feeling them rather than looking. I checked the East nest this evening; all were smooth.

The ducklings pip the shell to let in some air (there’s some already in there) and they start to breathe a day or two before they hatch. Another sign that precedes hatching is when the mother duck becomes unusually busy turning the eggs and often vocalizes a soft pulsing call. The mother and the little ducklings are talking to each other! She starts doing it when the ducklings start to make sounds. The duckling’s sound is a soft little peep-peep-peep, too quiet for the camera’s microphone to pick up but the mother duck can hear it. I can hear it too if I pick up an egg and hold it near my ear when the duckling is peeping. I used my phone to record it once a couple of years ago.

That recording is linked below. It’s loud (turn it down) and very noisy since I’m holding the eggshell right up against the phone on the edge where the phone’s microphone is located. The slightest motion therefore makes lots of noise (I could have been more careful) but the peep peep sounds are the duckling.

All is good in the West nest. No activity in the South nest and it’s very unlikely that it will be used this year.