May 10, 2022: Surprise Surprise!
I was out monitoring my Bluebird boxes this morning, anxious to see if our baby bluebirds survived the nasty weather. Sure enough, all intact, as best I can tell. We have two active nests with at least 9 young. I breathed a sigh of relief. Linda, my fellow birding friend came along, taking lots of pictures.
We thought since we were close to the small retention pond on the south side of the lagoon, we should take a look. We were in for a big surprise! Linda found a brood of baby Wood Ducks—13 of them! Then for a second surprise. Another birder found a second brood, this time out on the main lagoon. We may have counted 8.
The HMNG has undertaken the restoration of many of our Wood Duck boxes, with volunteer Rod Heckman refurbishing, cleaning, and taking inventory of the boxes. Wood Ducks use both natural cavities and manmade boxes. You can learn more about Wood Ducks and their nesting habits at our Wednesday, May 18, 11 AM Zoom presentation. Just send a request for the Zoom link to hersheysmillnature@gmail.com
Happy Birding!