The island was donated to the province by its owner, Barbara Cody, in 1962.[3]
The island is currently part of the Sandbanks Provincial Park, visitors are allowed, after getting the permission of the park superintendent.[5] Most of the island is covered by an oak-hickory forest. Plants rare to eastern Ontario are found on the island. The island provides a resting spot for birds on their annual migration.
References
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Robert B. Townsend. "Main Duck Island History". Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-04-01. A quarter of a mile off its shore is a little duckling called Yorkshire Island. Farther west, and nearer Point Traverse, are the False Ducks, comprising of False Duck, Timber, the Duckling islands, and a wicked layout of duck eggs in the form of reefs and boulders.
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Susanna MacLeod (2016-06-21). "Island has unique heritage". Kingston Whig-Standard. Archived from the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2019-04-01. Surrounded by shallow waters with hull-piercing shoals and enormous, boat-grinding, rocky protrusions, Main Duck Island and the nearby smaller Yorkshire Island are part of a chain of islands in eastern Lake Ontario. The Ducks, said the Syracuse Herald in 1931, 'have been the scene of many wrecks and have caused the loss of more than a score of lives.'
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Terry Spraque (2009-04-02). "Our Natural Heritage: County is Island of Islands". Picton Gazette. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-04-01. From the air, Main Duck Island is part of a chain of islands, stretching from Stoney and the Galloo Islands on the American side, to Main Duck and its neighbour Yorkshire Island, and closer to the County, the False Ducks, encompassing Swetman and Timber Islands. Timber Island was the last stronghold in Ontario of the majestic Bald Eagle, before it declined in the late 1940s.