Wizard was hatched in May of 2000. She was one of Black Duck's seven offspring that year. Wizard is a gray and white pied Blue Swedish cross. I named her after a song (Pinball Wizard) because she reminded me of a pinball zooming around the pond.In May of this year, we saw her walking in and out of the pond's bushes. I followed her one time as she snuck back and found out that she was hiding a nest with an egg. She *knows* that *I know* where she is! By last count, she was sitting on seven eggs. We saw her mating with American Pied (her brother) and several wild Mallards, so the duckling color genetics should be very interesting. Her eggs are due to hatch in mid-June of 2001.
Unfortunately, Wizard smashed all but one of her eggs just one week before they were supposed to hatch. We tried to incubate the surviving egg, but like the others, it was already infected. The duckling was gray and white, just like its mother.
Wizard is currently missing from the pond. We are not sure if she is sitting on a second clutch of eggs or if she has passed away.
The Ponds
