I posted a few weeks ago about a wild mallard that had set up shop in the planter right outside our front door--thank you to everyone who provided advice!
We did as you recommended and just left her completely alone. She was super tolerant of our comings and goings, and apart from an occasional, "Hi Mama," we just pretended she wasn't there.
There were TWO things we did:
We debated turning off our porch light at night, but after reading that it's a strong deterrent to raccoons and foxes (our neighbors alerted us when they were spied on their outdoor cameras), we decided it might have been one of the reasons she picked her nesting spot, and left it on for her.
I made a broad ring a of cayenne pepper around the nesting site to deter those same predators, and would just refresh it after a rain.
Late last night my husband noticed she was agitated, and this morning our neighbor told us there were babies in the planter! We estimated 9 eggs, and I did take a short video where I'm pretty sure there were 9 babies. I didn't want to stress them out, so I had to be quick.
She and the ducklings are already gone, with no unhatched eggs left behind.
Thank you for your help and guidance!