I live in a condo overlooking a man-made lake. On the deck, I have pots containing herbs and flowers. A female duck has decided to nest either in my flower pots.
I have tried using a trellis and flashy windmills to discourage the duck, but she continues to come at dawn. I finally let her ruin my herbs in hopes that she would leave the flowers alone, but now there are 3 eggs in the pot. Do I have any options to get rid of her, and the pot with eggs at this point?
Ducks sometimes choose odd spots for their nests, and this seems like a good example. If all proceeds as normal, the ducklings will hatch in about 21-39 days, usually counted after the last egg is laid. After hatching, the female often broods on the nestlings for another day/night, in part to help groom her feather oil into theirs.
If you want to relocate the nest, I highly encourage you to contact your District wildlife biologist with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can get contact information for your district biologist by calling ODFW headquarters at (503) 947-6000.
