Has a mother duck built her nest on your property?
If so, you are not alone! Mallard ducks are prevalent in DC and are attracted to balconies, green roofs, and courtyards for their nests.
Why did she pick my building, house, or backyard?
Chances are, your location provides some of the things she is looking for in a
nest site:
- Planters or plants that are low to the ground, but dense enough to provide shade and to hide the nest;
- Protection from predators, such as raccoons, hawks, owls, rats, cats, or dogs;
- Nearby access to water: a pool, fountain, stream or pond (generally within a few feet to 1 mile from the nest);
- A flat area, out of the wind.
Can we remove the nest?
No, it is illegal to move any nest that has eggs in it. If the mother appears to be searching for a nest site or starting to settle into one, it is legal to discourage her by shooing her off gently and repeatedly. (See also How Can I Prevent more Ducks from Nesting). But once she has laid eggs, it is considered an active nest and cannot be disturbed or relocated.
What type of situation would require intervention?
Mallards sometimes make their nests in enclosed courtyards or on balconies or roofs. In these situations, the ducklings may be trapped and the mother may be unable to get them to a source of food and water. Humans can help by removing the ducklings from the trapped situation and transporting them, along with their mother, to a suitable, nearby water source. Ducklings cannot survive without their mother. They need her to protect them from predators and to lead them to appropriate food sources.
Take a look at these fact sheets for more information: Is There a Duck In Your Planter?, Is There a Mother Duck on Your Roof?, Don’t Put Ducklings in a Pool or Fountain!
How can I prevent more ducks from nesting?
Here are some ways to prevent ducks from nesting on your property:
- Net or cage your plants to prevent nesting. (Ducks can nest all summer long.)
- Install spikes or other deterrents under plants that might be attractive for nests.
- Cut back your plants so that they do not provide enough cover for a nest.
- Gently disturb the mother duck if she seems to be looking for a place to nest. Do not touch her, but rather approach her quietly until she flies away. Do this repeatedly each time she lands.
- If she has already prepared a nest, remove it if there are not yet eggs in it. This is more humane than allowing ducklings to hatch in a place where they won’t survive. It is legal to remove a duck nest as long as there are no eggs in it.
- Allow breeding to occur if the nest is already established. It is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to destroy eggs or to disturb a mother duck that has laid eggs without a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.(Permits to addle [oil] or remove eggs from nests can be obtained from USFWS but must be applied for well in advance. For more information about these permits, visit www.fws.gov/permits).
- Apply methyl anthranilate as a repellant. Methyl anthranilate is a harmless chemical related to grape juice that has been proven effective in repelling ducks when fogged every three weeks around nesting areas. “Liquid Fence” is one commercially available product that contains methyl anthranilate. One disadvantage of methyl anthranilate is that it smells strongly of grape juice and washes off in the rain, so it must be reapplied.
Still need assistance? Give us a call at: (202) 882-1000 or send us an email.
