I’ve been remiss in my duck reports because I have had guests, and so must feed them—i.e., the ducks—quickly (though amply) and don’t have much time to take pictures. Yesterday morning and today, though, I did get some duck snaps. You’ll see how quickly the ducklings have grown—indeed, I’m not sure I can call them “ducklings” any more. But I still greet them by saying, “Good morning, ducklings.”
So here they are. (Click on photos to enlarge them.)
Feeding time yesterday morning. I like this photo. And of course the first order of business is to count them and make sure there are eight, as there are here. Honey’s in the background, watching her brood:
Look how big the “ducklings” are! Their wings are looking like real wings now when they stretch them. In about three weeks they’ll be able to fly.
Ducks at dawn:
Honey supervises bathtime:
Not much of a size disparity between Mom and offspring:
My beloved Honey. I’m going to spoil the hell out of her when the brood leaves and she stays behind to molt. Watermelon!
Of course the turtles are everywhere, but don’t interfere with the ducks. In fact, they get lots of noms by cleaning up the uneaten mallard pellets:
A turtle lazes in the heat, soaking up the sun and stretching its limbs:
Finally, SPOT THE MALLARD! Answer below the fold (click to enlarge). This one’s pretty easy:
Here’s the mallard (it’s Honey!):
x
Great to hear all eight are still waddling and paddling around. Apparently Frank and Honey’s genes are destined to be fruitful and propagate.
Hiding just behind the bright green shiny foliage. Nice.
The ducklings barely fit in their communal bathtub these days!
I can’t wait to see Honey nomming watermelon, though it will be sad to see the ducklings go.
I second this. But if Honey goes after watermelon the way those other ducks did in the video, Honey’s gotta have a video, too. The first duck seen in that video could barely contain herself before the melon was on the ground.
Found some footage of two ducklings nomming on watermelon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_rtExff47M. They’re quite vocal in their enjoyment. One’s quacking, the other peeping, so one must be female, the other male.
What a couple of cuties! Their mum looked to be watching over them too, like Honey does.
That video led me to a good one called, ‘The Dos and Don’ts of Duck Feeding. Someone asked about popcorn on a duck report a few days ago, and apparently that’s not good. Also, oatmeal should be cooked. Perhaps throwing it in the water would be good enough though, as that would soak it. Ducks apparently like chopped up apple (but apple seeds are toxic) and tomatoes, and all the veges Jerry gives them along with the meal worms are good of course. They also said cat and dog food was really good (wet and dry), but it can make them smelly. Ducks with dog breath?
Yeah, I hope she goes after the melon like the ducks in the tweets.
What about other types of melon? Like a Crenshaw, the Cadillac of melons. It would probably be best to stick with what you know isn’t harmful.
I couldn’t tell what species of turtle that last one was. Maybe a painted; I bet Greg would know. Calling the Root River paddler.
This night have been posted before but I’ll risk it. Tigers Vs Ducks:
https://youtu.be/ZcubKz—9Y
Ducks 1 Tigers 0
Thought some might like the UK Policeman walking Ducks across Tram Line.
https://www.newsflare.com/video/218203/animals/officer-helps-ducks-cross-tram-lines