Spring is breeding season for most animals and birds in the world. That way the babies can be born in a warm and nonthreatening time of the year and have time to grow up when there is plenty of food around. Mothers are usually very careful in picking out a spot for a den or nest. Great care is taken to keep the babies or eggs out of reach from hungry predators. Sometimes however, even though it seemed like a safe place, misjudgement on the part of the mother can take place.

The video below is an example of this. The mother duck was very careful to lay her eggs in a place that was very inaccessible to most threats. There she sat day after day until that special day when the little duck eggs all began to hatch. Right after hatching baby ducks will follow the mother to a pond or lake and plunge right in for swimming lessons. This time the babies were all set to do this natural behavior also and mom was ready to show them the way. There was only one problem that stood in the way. And a very serious problem too that the mother duck had failed to allow for. That beautiful day of new life could have ended very quickly if it were not for the quick thinking of a man who saw it all while watching through his window at work. All ended up happily for the new little family of ducks thanks to a little assist from this man.

Wild duck nesting behavior ~

The wild duck usually chooses and remains with one mate for a season. A typical wild duck's nest is saucer-shaped. It is built of reeds, grasses, mosses, or leaves, and is lined with down from the female's breast. Most duck nests are built on the ground—usually in some depression among reeds, rushes, rocks, willows, or in the hollow of a dead tree. Ducks of some species nest high up in trees, typically in cavities. Some ducks occupy the abandoned tree nests of such larger birds as hawks.

Female ducks of most species lay 6 to 12 eggs; females of some species lay as many as 20. Typically, the eggs are incubated only by the female. When she leaves the nest, she covers the eggs with a layer of feathers. Incubation lasts for about a month. After hatching, the young follow the mother to a body of water. The young of most species first fly when they are between 50 and 60 days old.
Source ~ Animal Planet