Is it possible what you're finding as a lump could be the little ducks craw? This is at the front of the neck above the breast bone and can become as large a a walnut in this age duckling. The pinkness you're seeing may also be the skin with the down thinning due to the stretch. The craw is where food is stored until it's digested. It's a very good idea to provide something in the form of gravel, sand, this helps grind the food in the craw. For very young chicks and ducks I used parakeet gravel. A few good pinches when ever I freshen the food. This might not be on target but a full craw on a small duck can very well look like a swelling. The swelling should be less promient the first thing before morning feeding. And will increase in size as the day goes on.. Hope will Beacon grows to be a big guy/girl. So cute.

A bit late for the response, though I'd be curious to know what happened to her and the babies after the storm. My guess is that they would be OK. They may actually have enjoyed being out in the rain for a bit. If she lives in that area normally, she may be accustomed to those kinds of rains. Other than that, it sounds like you did everything to discourage her not to return to that nesting site.

I believe NHBabs posted a photo of her Cornus alternifolia (species) as she wrote further above that she has no experience with the 'Argentea' cultivar. Do the Cornus alternifolia species and the Cornus alternifolia 'Argentea' cultivar have different structural characteristics? I appreciate if the variegated cultivar would grow slower, etc. I checked the websites of nurseries in reasonable driving distance and found 3 that carry the Cornus alternifolia species. 2 nurseries carry it under the category 'shrubs' (not 'trees') presumably implying multi-trunk, the third nursery did not categorize. Wikipedia uses the word 'tree': "It is a small deciduous tree growing to 25 feet (8 m) (rarely 30 feet (9 m)) tall, with a trunk up to 6 inches (152 mm) in diameter." What this tells me is that I may need some luck to find (locally) a single-trunk specimen of the Cornus alternifolia species.

The transformation very much depends on your budget and comps. If there are funds available for upgrades, it's very possible. Put a new portico over the front entrance, new siding, replace old aluminum windows with vinyl windows, and add shutters to make windows look larger. Pressure wash the front steps and replace railing to match new portico. Paint all brick to compliment the new siding. The former sunroom could stay a room, so that it counts as square footage of the home. More windows to make it a sunny relaxing room. Here's a similar house transformation.