When I was walking outside this morning, sans duck food, I saw Honey in the pond! It was her, too, because she had those distinctive bill markings. I excitedly emailed Grania to put up a quick post that the duck was back, which she did.
I’ve very happy that I’ve got her back for at least a while, for now I can feed her some good protein as well as vegetables. My half pound of mealworms (approximately 8000) arrived yesterday, and a kind reader sent me a packet of “tasty grubs”, or Black Soldier Fly larvae (left below). So we’re set for a while, and I can get her fed up and ready to leave.
I had frozen the grubs, so while they’re defrosting on account of the happy return, I gave Honey the mealworms. Here she is scarfing them up this afternoon:
And a formal portrait. She’s a looker!
Now I know what it’s like to bore people with picture of your kids.
I often wonder how it is that marketing departments can honestly label things like grubs, mealworms, cat food or d*g food as “tasty”. “Nutritious” may be something that can be quantified, but “tasty” not so much. My girls like their Bench & Field kibble, but if I try to give them canned food for a treat, they give it a couple of licks then go back to the dry.
On the other hand, having worked for several marketing-driven companies, I have some familiarity with the depths to which marketers can descend. Douglas Adams’ Golgafrinchans were an exaggeration only in that I think he underplayed them.
You’re assigned to check out the grubs and report back 😀
I had a brain fade and was about to quote a Douglas Adams line back at you, that “advertising is the rattling of the stick in the swill bucket”, but I’m not so sure on second thoughts that it’s a DNA line (strand, surely? – Ed).
I have kids but I may actually have more pictures of the cats.
Who decides if the worms and grubs are “Tasty”?
You.
Well now we know who one of the latest 400 readers is – having read about the free food – definitely a college duck – well done!
Is Honey a wild Mallard or a release, do we know? I have no idea where PCC’s pond is, city or country. Mallards love water wherever it is. She may spread the word and there will be a crowd showing up for mealworms and grubs everyday.
Check earlier posts with
“Duck”/”Ducks”/”My Duck” in the title. It’s a longish story 🙂
Thanks, nice story.
But the duck came back the very next day,
The duck came back, we thought she was a goner,
The duck came back, she just wouldn’t stay away.
I told you not to worry. I was going to come back and say she probably went for a walk, but didn’t bother. That was the simplest explanation to me, it being too early to migrate. And she may not migrate. Glad you’re happy again.
If she doesn’t migrate we’re screwed, as that pond freezes over in winter.
“Hey Horowitz,” I said, “You ever pass by that lagoon in Central Park. . .where the ducks are . . .do you know where they go in the winter by any chance? . . .I mean does somebody come in a truck or something and take them away . . .?”
“How the hell should I know?” he said. “How the hell should I know a stupid thing like that?”
–The Catcher in the Rye
I think Honey, unlike her siblings, has imprinted. You will probably have to practice tough love at some point.
You are learning one of the lessons of parenthood: even though grown children may leave home, sometimes they return to stay a while longer (sometimes into their 30s in the case of human “children”.)
I’m glad you have her company for however much longer in that she makes you happy (and will help you get rid of the grubs and mealworms).
You have a bathtub, don’t you, PCC(E)? 😛
😂 A duck in his tub, squirrels at his windows. PCC is a regular Dr. Dolittle.
Mind the Jan. ’18 expiry date. Last thing you want is a bunch of Black Soldier Fly Larvae that have gone stale.
😉
IE no longer tasty.
“Gamey” is the word you’re looking for.
I don’t know USian cooking habits, but the traditional way in the UK of knowing when a hunted bird (goose, pheasant, swan …) is ready to pluck and cook is to hang it outside the back door by a piece of string around the neck. The morning that you come out an find the bird on the floor is when you’re going to have goose (pheasant, swan …) for dinner.
This is happy news! I had a feeling that Honey might come back!
Huzzah for the returning duck. This is way better than kid pictures!
I agree, kid pictures are a dime a dozen. This is one-of-a-kind Honey!
If somebody has asked me only ten minutes ago if ducks are migratory birds, I would have answered: no.
Always nice to learn something one didn’t expect.
.-
If somebody had asked me – sorry!
With all those goodies you may have yourself a year-round duck. Your living room big enough for a kiddie pool come December?
She had to check out her new feathers, of course. Probably flew around the Willis Tower
a few times to smooth the ruffles and lubricate the joints. She had no intention of leaving.
Mmm… grubs.
Your duck seems to be shaped like MU69 (third picture), the next observation target for the New Horizons spacecraft.
So, should Honey be renamed “MU69”, or MU69 “Honey”?
No wonder she came back!
Mmmmmmm……Tasty Grubs!
….now, what am i having for brekfust?
I lived with a duck in a tiny studio apartment for 4 or 5 months when I was in college.
In the afternoons, after class, Lester would sleep on my chest with his or her head tucked under a wing while I napped. She was a free range bird, very large, and unspeakably messy.
How I came by this duck is not an interesting story, except to say I thought it was a fun idea at the time.
It’s a good memory.