Duck takes over DNR's EagleCam nest, lays eggs
It's a twist that would make Tex Avery proud: a duck has temporarily taken over the nest featured on Minnesota's EagleCam.
The state Department of Natural Resources, which operates the camera, said a female mallard appeared in a vacated eagle nest on April 13 and staff noticed eggs in the nest three days later.
All of the eggs will hatch on the same day sometime in mid-May, according to the DNR. The mother will then lead them to water.
"Mallard chicks are resilient and should survive the drop to the ground," the DNR said. "However, this nest is within a few hundred yards of an active bald eagle nest, so we do advise caution when watching the camera. The mallard blends into the nest very well and does a good job of hiding the eggs when she leaves to get food, but these are wild animals and anything can happen."
The DNR debuted a new EagleCam late last year after the nest previously featured collapsed to the ground following an April 2023 snowstorm. The featured eagle couple soon departed the spotlighted nest, though, finding finer digs nearby. The female eagle laid two eggs in February and a DNR spokesperson said Thursday both eaglets have hatched and are doing well.
The duck has roosted in the original nest.
A DNR spokesperson said this phenomenon has never occurred on the EagleCam, which debuted more than a decade ago.
