Eytons whistling duck nest
Every year it is my job along with the rest of the team to coerce our birds into breeding. We fill up aviaries with prime examples of species and provide all the necessary boxes and habitat to orchestrate the laying of eggs. Whilst these basics are standard, understanding and observing the feelings of the birds in your care is where a true eye for detail comes in.
The Eyton's have been looking very secretive of late. Their general attitude is one of... making do with their lot. They camp out adjacent the feeding area, monopolise the loafing ground, and certainly dole out retributions quickly and efficiently. Even the white-backed ducks are under their thumb! Whilst they are all the best of friends however they are not at all flirtatious, so it was a complete surprise to me to see both the females looking heavy with eggs. For whistling ducks supposedly in love, they had very little to shout (whistle) about! Looking at the four of them there was no indication of any kind of attachment to believe them capable of breeding, and I had come to assume in my mind that nothing would come of them in 2011. Their gravid rear ends however seemed out to prove me wrong!
It was no surprise a week later to see a huge collection of eggs in the undergrowth, and neither was it a surprise to see how little care had been taken over its creation. The females seemed utterly disinterested in incubating them so they were duly collected into an incubator and candled after 10 days.
Result = Infertile.
Well the good news is that whilst these eggs are infertile the girls certainly do like to lay; clocking up a massive 18 in total between the two of them! The bad news is of course the infertility and the entirely lack-lustre breeding attitude of the boys. The most likely course of action seems to imply shaking it up a bit and getting in a nice new chap for 2012. Whilst many species like repetition and regular routines and refuse to breed at the slightest human interference, others enjoy the fire of a new playmate and allow the disturbance to kick start their breeding regimes. Maybe these girls will ultimately be just such a pair...
Practice, may still make perfect.
07/08/11 Phoebe: Hi Kathy, I will look up a few photos of mutual preening and post them for you. Oddly enough I caught two young juvenile southern-red bills having a joint preen just the other day :)
02/08/11 Kathy Valier: The Eton's whisling ducks are so striking-looking with those elegant feathers splayed along their sides. One thing I never saw with any of the whistling ducks at Slimbidge was any of the alopreening that I had read whistling ducks are fond of. Maybe it was because of the lack of fondess between the sexes.
