The Big Hatch

Each spring, common eiders return to shore to nest after a winter at sea. Despite rising temperatures in the rugged northern and coastal areas where they breed, eiders need to insulate their nests well before welcoming new hatchlings into the world. Females line their nests with bits of plant material and downy nest feathers. Common eider populations in Newfoundland and Labrador have rebounded thanks to the efforts of DUC volunteers. For more than 30 years, they have worked tirelessly to install and monitor nest shelters on the eiders’ breeding islands — making them a cherished local species in the process.

Common eiders find safety in numbers by raising broods co-operatively. After hatching, families, including “aunts” — the females that didn’t breed or were unsuccessful — band together and travel along coastlines, warning each other if predators, such as arctic foxes, appear.

Barrow’s goldeneye broods stick together into summer, with the mother aggressively defending a territory where young can safely feed and rest. In extreme cases, she’ll injure or even kill ducklings that invade her family’s space. DUC works to conserve wetland habitat in B.C., where more than half of this species’ population breeds. Maintaining plenty of habitat limits territorial conflicts, which helps ducklings survive their first summer. Those that do may end up migrating to the Fraser River Estuary, where DUC projects host thousands of wintering ducks.

Ducklings, like these mallards, won’t stray far from the nest on their first night after hatching. DUC partners with landowners on the Prairies to create and maintain pockets of thick grasses and shrubs in agricultural areas. These grassland refuges are far more effective at keeping nests, and hatchlings, safe.