[mou] Why 2 Wood Duck hens in box?
jotcat
jotcat" <jotcat@boreal.org
Sun, 8 Apr 2007 14:40:13 -0500
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In the "Can You Top This" department, check out a short piece in the =
most recent (March, 2007, Volume 119, #1) of the Wilson Journal of =
Ornithology. Christian Artuso of Winnipeg, Ontario had installed a =
miniature video camera in a nest box successfully used by Eastern =
Screech Owls in 2002 - 2004. In 2005, the female owl had laid 5 eggs =
and had been incubating for at least 19 days when a female Wood Duck =
entered the box, gradually removed the entire clutch, and laid 3 of her =
own eggs. The owl kept incubating, hatched the 3 wood ducks, preened =
them, and attempted to feed them until they left the box on their own. =
It is not known whether any of the 3 young ducks survived. A similar =
nearby nest box, used in previous years by Wood Ducks, was empty. =20
In my neighborhood, the snow has settled and melted in sunny spots, the =
huge flocks of Slate-colored Junco everyone near here has reported are =
beginning to thin out, with more of the pale gray or brownish =
female/young male birds in the mix. We see a Fox Sparrow or two daily, =
have had 3 or so Tree Sparrows, one White-throated Sp., but no others =
yet. Amer. Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and up to 10 Com. Redpolls are =
singing and gobbling up thistle seeds, with some unusual competition - a =
male Hairy Woodpecker has developed a taste for the mix of thistle, =
millet and sunflower hearts now in a tube feeder and has slightly =
enlarged one of the tiny seed ports. He ignores the suet and a peanut =
butter/corn meal/oatmeal/oil mix hanging nearby. Male Cardinal singing =
lustily. The grackle and redwinged blackbirds here before the April =
Fool's snow promptly disappeared. =20
My husband is watching the Masters Golf Tournament, and I'm enjoying the =
snatches of Carolina Wren song.
Carol Tveekrem,
Schroeder, Cook Co.
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Sharon Stiteler=20
To: George B Skinner=20
Cc: MOU-net=20
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 9:36 AM
Subject: Re: [mou] Why 2 Wood Duck hens in box?
I've heard of this happening in egg dumping situations. Usually, a =
hen dumping eggs will wait until the other hen leaves the box, but I've =
read accounts where the dumper just went in and laid while the original =
female was incubating--I suppose when you've gotta lay eggs, you've got =
lay eggs.
Though there are pair bonds formed between a pair of wood ducks, both =
members of the pair will mate with others.
There are different theories on nest box placement. Some say egg =
dumping is a sign you should put up another box, others say too many =
wood duck boxes encourage egg dumping. Usually having wood duck boxes =
30 feet apart works well.
Sharon Stiteler
www.birdchick.com
Minneapolis, MN
On Apr 8, 2007, at 8:15 AM, George B Skinner wrote:
Last week I saw a drake and hen standing on the box. The times I =
checked TV camera in the box it never showed any ducks or eggs.
Now, at 7:30 this morning, I saw a drake at the base of the support =
pole. When I turned the camera on I saw there were two hens in the box. =
One was sitting on top of about a third of the other one. They seen to =
be resting.
What is this behavior? Are they trying to wait each other out to =
claim the box? Will they both lay? Do drakes have multiple hens?
I have a second box that I could put up. Is there any minimum =
distance they should be apart?
Thank you,
George Skinner
Minnetonka, Hennepin Co., Minnesota
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bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DGaramond color=3D#008080>In the "Can You Top This" =
department,=20
check out a short piece in the most recent (March, 2007, Volume 119, #1) =
of the=20
<EM>Wilson Journal of Ornithology. </EM>Christian Artuso of =
Winnipeg,=20
Ontario had installed a miniature video camera in a nest box =
successfully used=20
by Eastern Screech Owls in 2002 - 2004. In 2005, the female owl =
had laid 5=20
eggs and had been incubating for at least 19 days when a female Wood =
Duck=20
entered the box, gradually removed the entire clutch, and laid 3 of her =
own=20
eggs. The owl kept incubating, hatched the 3 wood ducks, preened =
them, and=20
attempted to feed them until they left the box on their own. It is =
not=20
known whether any of the 3 young ducks survived. A similar nearby =
nest=20
box, used in previous years by Wood Ducks, was empty. =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080>In my neighborhood, the snow has settled and =
melted in=20
sunny spots, the huge flocks of Slate-colored Junco everyone =
near here=20
has reported are beginning to thin out, with more of the pale gray or =
brownish=20
female/young male birds in the mix. We see a Fox Sparrow or two =
daily,=20
have had 3 or so Tree Sparrows, one White-throated Sp., but no others =
yet. =20
Amer. Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and up to 10 Com. Redpolls are singing =
and=20
gobbling up thistle seeds, with some unusual competition - a male Hairy=20
Woodpecker has developed a taste for the mix of thistle, millet and =
sunflower=20
hearts now in a tube feeder and has slightly enlarged one of the tiny =
seed=20
ports. He ignores the suet and a peanut butter/corn =
meal/oatmeal/oil mix=20
hanging nearby. Male Cardinal singing lustily. The grackle =
and=20
redwinged blackbirds here before the April Fool's snow promptly=20
disappeared. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080>My husband is watching the Masters Golf =
Tournament, and=20
I'm enjoying the snatches of Carolina Wren song.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080>Carol Tveekrem,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#008080>Schroeder, Cook Co.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #008080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dbirdchick@gmail.com =
href=3D"mailto:birdchick@gmail.com">Sharon=20
Stiteler</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dgeorge.skinner@gte.net=20
href=3D"mailto:george.skinner@gte.net">George B Skinner</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A =
title=3Dmou-net@cbs.umn.edu=20
href=3D"mailto:mou-net@cbs.umn.edu">MOU-net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, April 08, 2007 =
9:36=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [mou] Why 2 Wood =
Duck hens=20
in box?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"><SPAN=20
class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"><SPAN=20
class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV>I've heard of this happening in egg dumping situations. =
Usually, a=20
hen dumping eggs will wait until the other hen leaves the box, but =
I've read=20
accounts where the dumper just went in and laid while the original =
female was=20
incubating--I suppose when you've gotta lay eggs, you've got lay =
eggs.</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Though there are pair bonds formed between a pair of wood ducks, =
both=20
members of the pair will mate with others.</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>There are different =
theories on=20
nest box placement. Some say egg dumping is a sign you should =
put up=20
another box, others say too many wood duck boxes encourage egg =
dumping. =20
Usually having wood duck boxes 30 feet apart works well.<BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR>
<DIV><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV>Sharon Stiteler</DIV>
<DIV>www.birdchick.com</DIV>
<DIV>Minneapolis, MN</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dkhtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On Apr 8, 2007, at 8:15 AM, George B Skinner wrote:</DIV><BR=20
class=3DApple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: =
none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; =
LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px =
0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: =
auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span =
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">Last=20
week I saw a drake and hen standing on the box. The times I =
checked TV=20
camera in the box it never showed any ducks or =
eggs.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span =
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">Now,=20
at 7:30 this morning, I saw a drake at the base of the support pole. =
When I=20
turned the camera on I saw there were two hens in the box. One =
was=20
sitting on top of about a third of the other one. They seen to be=20
resting.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span =
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">What=20
is this behavior? Are they trying to wait each other out to claim =
the box?=20
Will they both lay? Do drakes have multiple =
hens?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span =
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">I=20
have a second box that I could put up. Is there any minimum distance =
they=20
should be apart?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span =
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">Thank=20
you,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">George Skinner</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3DApple-style-span=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10px">Minnetonka, Hennepin Co.,=20
Minnesota</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV><BR=20
=
class=3DApple-interchange-newline></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BLOCKQU=
OTE></BODY></HTML>
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