GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - The KARE 11 backyard got a surprise May visitor, and she's likely going to be staying for a while.
A female mallard duck began popping up during KARE 11 Sunrise this week, and we soon found out why. She had quietly been laying eight eggs.
Landscapers made the discovery and now it's likely just a matter of time before the mother duck comes to sit for good.
"She's covered them very well," said Lori Naumann with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "She could lay more, maybe up to 13 or 14."
Naumann says it's normal for ducks to seek out untraditional nesting areas in flower beds and other residential areas this time of year because their typical habitats have been depleted.
Though the duck has made several appearances in the backyard, Naumann says she'll soon return to begin incubation, and that's when the clock really starts.
"She will be sitting on these eggs constantly for 28 days," Naumann said.
During that time, whether it's in our backyard or yours, she says her best advice is to ignore them.
"Do not put food out, do not put water out because that only attracts predators, that only brings other things in to it."
Once it's time, the ducklings will all hatch in one day and then mom has one priority: get them to a water source. If they're in a backyard, just make sure they have an escape route. Lori says a section of the KARE 11 fence will be plenty of room for our guest.
"It's beautiful here. I think she chose a great spot," Naumann said. "Other than the occasional newscaster walking by."
Naumann said, the duck likely won't be bothered by the occasional forecast because it didn't keep her from laying her eggs in the first place.
"Just let her be and give her space and she will stay and maybe she'll even come back next year," she said.