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I was watching the wood duck box the other day. I was surprised to see a female come out with an egg in her beak which she flew away with. A few days leading to this particular morning we had noticed 4-5 empty eggs laying on the ground and on the lake shore bottom, we were suspicious of predators but now wondering if it is this female wood duck and why?
This is our first year with the new box and are planning on adding more. We are very fascinated with these beautiful ducks and appreciate your insight.
-Rob Van Hout
Answer:
 Hi Rob!
Empty eggshells in the vicinity of a nest box are a good indication that the box has been exposed to predator pressures. It is not uncommon that a female will return to her clutch even after the clutch has been partially depredated. In order to restore the clutch and reduce future disturbances, the hen will rearrange nest materials back to its original state, and remove empty shells or entire damaged eggs from the partially depredated nest. It is possible that this is the event that you were lucky to witness.
Being that this is your first year with the new box you may want to look into whether the box is predator proof. For example is your predator guard effective, are there nearby overhanging limbs where a predator could access the box, or is the box high enough off the ground. If complete or partial egg disappearance still continues it may be worth looking into relocating your nest box.
Your passion and interest for wood ducks is awesome Rob, and I hope this helps explain what you saw that morning. Keep up the good work, and good luck with your new nest box and new ones to come!
Sincerely,
Carly Michie - Delta Waterfowl Biologist
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