First Hatch on the Pond

Every spring we are blessed with various broods of mallards or wood ducks on our small wetland pond. Today marked the first hatch of the year with a brood of 11 wood duck ducklings. The next couple of weeks will be a challenge for the brood to keep its numbers. Red-shouldered hawks during the day and barred owls at night will try and prey on the little ones. This year, due to the low water, there is quite a bit of emergent grasses in the water - will this help them stay a bit more hidden from predators?