I have an update on Miss. Harley, the duck that was brooding in my front yard.  I noticed last Friday that she hadn't been on her nest when I left for work.

I thought maybe she was just out getting some food or going for a stroll to stretch her legs.

Then on Sunday afternoon when I mowed the lawn, I noticed she still wasn't there and that the eggs were not covered up like before.

Well today when I left, I noticed that she was not there and that the eggs were still uncovered.

My fear is that she has abandoned the nest.

Brett (the hubs) mentioned that he saw some duck feathers down the street the other day, and thought it was odd, but didn't think much of it.

Now I wonder, did she accidently get hit by a car and couldn't return to her nest, or did she abandon the eggs.

I was reading up on reasons why a duck will abandon the nest, and one was that she knows the eggs are not going to hatch, so she will either just leave the nest or take the eggs and get rid of them.

I guess it is nature's way of helping to keep the population down.

It's sad either way.  I'm hoping I'm wrong and that she will be back and that the eggs will hatch.