Duck Nest Box Has A Taker

 Our duck box finally has an occupant. On April 25, I was about to weedwhack near the box, but thought I should make sure there weren't signs of a bird nesting in it.  While I was sniffing around it, to my surprise, a Hooded Merganser flew out the entry hole about a foot from face.  I was initially afraid that if she was still in  the process of laying eggs, she might not come back.  That night I set up a trail cam to see if she was continuing to use the box.  Sure enough, she has been coming and going several times a day ever since.  We call her "April".  She is usually so fast coming and going that the camera misses her, or I just get a blur.  A few times I've been lucky, though.  Below are a couple shots that came out pretty good.

"April", on April 30th, going out for food.

Today, May 4th, April coming in.

Hooded Mergansers lay a clutch of 5-13 eggs, which take about 33 days to incubate.  They all hatch within a few hours of each other and the chicks all leave within 24 hours of hatching.  They climb out of the box as the mother calls to them.  She will stay with them for about 70 days.  

It would be awesome to see her with her ducklings swimming on the river!