Is this normal call drake behaviour

[xkatxteex]

Hi again. Been a while since I've had a silly question lol but I got a little call drake this year whos just over a year old to pair with our female mallard when she was old enough who we hatched, he came from a home where he was bullied badly by his flock (I don't know if that's relevant at all) and from day one he's idolised her, his behaviour I can only compare to our cockeral, he lets her eat first, guards while she naps, he gets upset if he can't see her even though other birds are around, its like these two are their own flock noone else exists to them, 3 days ago she laid her first egg and he made the nest for her, I thought I was abit deranged and imagined it but last two days he's done it again, preps the area and waits while she gets comfortable then sits with her while she lays, our other drakes are selfish birds so this is odd to me?

 

[sourland]

I've had drakes with strong pair bonds that showed similar behavior.