My Muscovy Ducks Tale: 05/01/2012

I accidently deleted a post showing Porsche on the nest. No matter - I have pictures....See below the post here for a pictorial of the last few days.

Things have been kinda crazy around here. MORE DUCKS! Well, not as many as I hoped. Here is the readers digest version for the last 3 days.

Horrible rain storms here-cold, cold, cold, particularly for a little soul that weighs an ounce!
Start hearing peeping Saturday - hatching has begun
Put a plastic bag over the chimenea to try and keep the rain and cold out
Left the duck alone, but kept checking on her from the back door - she is shivering. What?
Monday 4/30 - I came out and she is out of the nest and there are three peepers in the fireplace staring up at me!
Leave her alone - she goes back in and sits
Later that day, she leaves the nest with three peepers following. I look in the chimenea and there are three hatched babies that look like she may have walked on them - they are not alive. *sniff*
Porsche is in and out of the nest for most of the morning. After 1pm she abandons the nest, and she and the three babies sit under a bush with her wings over them - it's cold and very windy.
Around 3pm, I donned gloves and removed the three dead babies and buried them. I have to get the eggs out so I don't have a raccoon invasion. Will wait until I'm positive she isn't going back in (the eggs are cold - they aren't going to be with us)
Porsche takes the babies for a swim in the pool.
6pm - take the eggs and all of the "debris" away. Put the eggs in a plastic bag in the garage. Too stormy to bury them.
5/1 - she is just sitting in the yard, preening & walking around. Been in the yard all night it appears.
2:30pm - it's much nicer this afternoon - photos of them being out and getting a lesson follow
3pm - I bury the eggs :(