On May 27, we had a successful fledging from one nest box of 15
ducklings: one Hooded Merganser and 14 Wood Duck chicks?with their
Wood Duck mother to guide them in their new lives.

The previous day, May 26, we noticed the first wet chick appear from
under the wood chips covering the eggs, when momma duck had taken an
early morning break from incubating. Within a few hours, all the
eggs had hatched that were going to hatch, and the chicks were in
various stages of drying out. Mother duck stayed on the nest and
endured all the ducklings crawling all around and atop her.

On the morning of May 27, we readied cameras outside the nest box and
prepared to tape the ducklings from inside the box. Based on our
prior experience, the mother calls the babies to leave the box
approximately 24 hours after they hatch.

At 8:45 a.m., the mother ascended to the nest box opening and looked
out; she was apparently satisfied that the coast was clear of danger,
and she flew down to the lake surface. Within a short time, she made
a call from below the nest box that was the signal for the babies to
leave. They began jumping around and up to the opening; within two
minutes and twenty seconds, all fifteen young had managed to leave
the nest box. Below, they reassembled with their mother, and began
swimming slowly down the edge of Fawn Lake, hugging the shore in a
tight cluster. That was the last we saw of them.

Here are two short recordings of the hatchlings leaving the nest box,
viewed from both inside and outside the box:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoJ5WwHd_Uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP5oGaik7dI

We have three duck nest boxes; this year there were two Wood Duck
mothers and one Hooded Merganser mother occupying the boxes.

Within half an hour of the babies fledging, a different female Wood
Duck entered the same box and laid an egg. It will be interesting to
see if she goes on to incubate.

Lee Rentz
lee at leerentz.com
Shelton, WA