A quick update on the duck boxes at the house. I went down along the brook today to check for Olive sided Flycatcher (and found one) and during my walk down the Hooded Merganser in duck box #2 flushed off the nest so I took the opportunity to check the box and found it still full of unhatched eggs. I then walked over to duck box #1 and yet again found no eggs (it has been a struggle to keep wasps out of the box this year and at this point it is certainly too late for a duck to use for breeding this year). I then went over to duck box #3 which I have not checked in weeks after finding a Hooded Merganser sitting on eggs a few weeks ago. When I opened the box I found it full of freshly hatched nestlings. They will likely leave the nest box tomorrow and with any luck the camera mounted at the base of the nest will capture the little ones leaving the nest. Oddly duck box #2 was the first one with an egg this year but the single egg seemed to be unviable with a crack in the shell and at some point the egg was removed from the box and a new set of eggs laid. No idea how the egg was removed as it is not something I have ever had happen before and certainly was not easy to accomplish.
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