Birds and Nature by Mory

 Wood Ducks are beautiful migratory birds that return to Minnesota in early spring every year to nest, and raise their  young before returning to their wintering areas in the fall.

We have a pond in our backyard that hosts a few Wood Ducks every year. Last year in 2024 the duck box successfully hosted a brood of nine ducklings. The ducklings usually hatch on the same day and the following day, when they are a day old the mother calls from beneath the box and the ducklings jump out of the nest, usually one at a time and gather by their mother who leads them to the nearby pond, or if the jump onto the water they gather around the mother. The mother Duck then leads them away as a group. The baby ducklings can walk and swim from the first day of their lives, and of course they are exceptionally cute. Here is a video of the ducklings jumping out of the nest box with the mother Duck calling them from the ground in 2024.

This is an Eagles' nest in La Crosse county that I have been watching for several years. Three years ago this nest succeeded in the fledging one chick, The subsequent year is it failed to produce any chicks.

Last year the Eagles fledged two chicks. Just before the chicks were ready to fledge a storm broke one of the branches that the nest was built upon, And Most of the nest fell, but the chicks were just a few days from being able to fly and therefore they did well. 

This year the nest was bolstered and reconstructed by the adults last fall, and further added to this spring. The nest is looking very well now. Today was the first day that I saw both adults in the nest. 

When I got there at noon today both adults were sitting in the nest, And subsequently they each left separately and reconvened in a nearby tree on the same branch. After sitting there for a while they each left separately. They were both gone for about a half an hour, when one returned with a small rodent that it placed in the nest and flew away. From this behavior I surmise that they have yet to lay any eggs.