Nest box check pt4

[Dano]

Always something new out there. Latest check found a Hooded merganser hen sitting on eggs, the third Hoody we've had in 7 years.
Starlings are being more aggressive, after the woody hen lays her egg (one a day), she leaves and returns the next day to lay another. When she is done she feathers her nest with down and starts sitting to incubate the eggs. That way they all hatch out about the same time.
The starlings come in when the ducks are gone and cover the duck eggs with grass, we had one nest ruined by the starlings completely covering the eggs. We decided to clean out box and start over. Turns out there were layers of grassland eggs in there, 44 Woody eggs in various layers!!! Hopefully the woods win the battle, we are bringing out our shotgun to shoot starlings roosting near the box next time out.
Another positive thing is the box that hatched already was cleaned out and the camera shows it being checked out by a woody pair that night and every day since. We should start seeing eggs in this box soon!

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[Dano]

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[tinhorse]

Super cool. Nice work helping out the ducks.

[f350ps]

Awesome work Dano! Why would they cover the eggs with grass instead I'd just pecking them open like the crows do? K

[Dano]

The Starlings don't seem to go for the eggs for some reason. When we used to have a lot of problems with starlings along the Alouette back in the '70's, I would sit by their box and pop them with my pellet gun when they landed nearby. Then I would clean out the box and mark down it was unoccupied in our box list.. I do't remember many being resented in, I think the checks were to infrequent back then.