Two Ducks

For the past three days these two ducks have been trying out the small pond behind our house. The water is high, as you can tell by the view of the dock below. The female duck sits somewhere, as though she is on the nest. The male duck is behind her, at a distance, I assume watching to see what the predator situation is like.

The first morning she was in the high grass along the edge of the pond, and he was floating out in the center of the pond with his beak pointed toward her.

The second morning she was out in the stubble of the field that marks the edge of the "prairie restoration," recently killed off and mowed to try to get rid of some of the weeds that have encroached. The drake was under a pine tree about 100 feet away.

The female duck sits very still, as though really nesting. I find myself watching, and then holding my breath, hoping that they'll decide this is a good place. Today is the third day, and they were nowhere to be found when I woke up. But last evening, and again this evening, they've been out circling the pond, together, and I hope that means they've chosen our pond.