Patrice was a Muscovy duck who built a nest in my backyard. Based on my rough estimate, her eggs were due to hatch around Super Bowl Sunday.
Before they could hatch, Patrice was attacked at the nest by two raccoons. Some of the eggs were destroyed, but Patrice managed to escape. She never returned to the nest.
That left roughly two dozen eggs in my care.
I brought the remaining eggs inside and placed them in incubators. For several days, I monitored the temperature, humidity, and timing without knowing whether any of them would survive.
Then the eggs began chirping.
A few started to pip, and on February 21, 2025, the first duckling hatched. Others followed.
Those ducklings grew into Angel and the group I now refer to as the new crop.
George is presumed to be the father of that brood. He and Angel are now the two main males in the group. Angel gets his name from angel wing, the condition responsible for both of his wings.
What began as a nest in the backyard became a rescue, an improvised incubation project, and the beginning of the Muscovy population that still visits today.
