Don’t the ducks nest near the water?
Not necessarily. Many ducks, especially mallards, often seek out nesting sites away from flooded areas and waterways. Flooded areas and especially riparian waterways lined with heavy vegetation and trees, typically host large populations of predators like skunks, raccoons, foxes, and raptors. It’s in a ducks best interest to nest as far from the predators as possible. Some ducks may travel a mile or more from their nest site to a flooded pond to raise their ducklings. Large blocks, 20 or more acres in size, of uninterrupted grassland habitat, located adjacent to summer wetlands, typically produce the most ducks.
