The readers’ wildlife feature will continue tomorrow, so please resume sending them in. Today, though, I am going to post about my wildlife—my mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).
Well, the ducks had barely showed up before the anxiety began (more about that below). Until yesterday afternoon all was well, with Honey spooning with her new swain (the old one was replaced when I was in Europe), and with everyone eating a good three-course meal (duck food, mealworms, and defrosted frozen corn). I put some decent bill pictures below from which you’re invited to discern whether the new female is indeed Honey.
First, pictures the old and new couple.
This was the pair before I left for Amsterdam; note that the male has a white breast and is sleeping (ducks sleep with only one eye closed as they turn off only half their brain off when sleeping):
Honey (if it is her) with the new male, who has a brown breast, like James:
Who is this new drake?
This is James Pond from last year, but there are no distinctive marks that I can use to tell if he’s the same as the new drake above, and I doubt it anyway:
My sweet girl (until informed otherwise, I’m assuming it’s Honey):
Yesterday Honey’s behavior was slightly different from that of previous years: after she came to my whistle (a sign that it’s Honey), she quacked a lot while being fed. Here’s a quack:
Okay, time to guess whether this new hen is indeed Honey. Here’s the left side of the new hen’s bill:
And the left side of Honey’s bill from last year:
The right side of the new hen’s bill:
The right side of Honey’s bill from last year. Note that although the dark spotting has reduced intensity, the dark oval at the junction of the upper bill and the face is there on both the left and right sides, fainter than before. This is what makes me think it is Honey. There are other similarities, too, but of course I am infected with a very strong case of confirmation bias.
Now for the drama. Honey and swain (we need a name) had two big meals yesterday, and on my way home from work I thought I’d walk by the pond to give them a snack. As I was feeding them a soupçon of duck pellets, another drake FLEW INTO THE POND, and immediately both drakes (or maybe one) tried to copulate with Honey, forcing her underwater. Then she disappeared (I feared she had drowned, but she mysteriously dove and reappeared on the grass on the other side of the pond). The two drakes then went at each other wings and bill, fighting viciously and grabbing at each other’s necks. It was an even nastier fight than the famous bout last year between James and Billzebub.
When the drakes realized that Honey was gone, they settled down and even swam peacefully side by side. It’s Spring, and mating season, but I don’t want to see my Honey raped by a randy drake! Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s already laid her eggs somewhere.
I was worried, and saw Honey waddle off into the bushes. I went to check on her and it seemed as if she’d disappeared. But no, she was just hiding from the randy drakes. Here she is; can you spot her? (These are iPhone pictures).
Here she is. I had a lot of trouble finding her and almost stepped on her! This shows you how cryptic mallards are when hiding.
I fear there’s more drama to come. On my way to work this morning, I wandered by the pond and, as it was dark, I could barely make out the shapes of three ducks. But two of them seemed to be hens, and one a drake. Do we have two females here now? I will know shortly when I go down to give them breakfast.
ADDENDUM:
Here are some clumps of feathers the drakes tore out of each other’s necks and breasts during the duck fights. I found them floating in the pond.
Well, when I went down for the feeding there were two drakes and Honey. When I whistled to feed them, Honey took off flying, quacking continuously and circling the pond twice. She then flew off towards the quad, and one of the drakes took off flying after her. The other drake remained in the pond, but swam all around it and then walked all around it looking for the others.
I’ve taken out my Super Soaker to break up any drake fights that ensue today. It’s going to be a long summer. It’s no picnic taking care of ducks, you know.
My wife and I stopped by the pond the other day while out on a neighborhood walk. We watched the ducks (just one pair) for a while. I am no expert on duck behavior but it seemed to me that they were definitely trying to start a family. Is it too early in the season for that?
No, it’s not too earlier, though a bit earlier than last year. I suspect that Honey has already laid her eggs somewhere, but gestation is about a month. Thus I expect chicks around the end of April. Just a while back I saw two hens and two drakes in the pond, and things were a bit dicey, with one female flying around in circles over the pond, and then all the ducks taking off. I wonder if there will be two families there this year. I don’t think I could handle that. . . .
You might need a duck crew, Jerry. Oh joy!
P.S. James was huge, so a pic with Honey beside this brown-chester might help to figure this out.
My mistake! You DO have a side-by-side photo of the two. I will check last years to peer at James in the hopes of spotting something.
I don’t think that drake is James. James has a larger area of light brown feathers on his back.
We got a free bonus “spot the ________”. It was a tough one too. #unexpectedspotthe
It seems a faint heart shall never win our fair but fickle lady’s affection.
Just a thought. Colin Mcginn is having a hard go of it these days. There was a measure of impropriety on his part, perhaps. But the backlash is over-fearsome. Any opinion?
Excuse me? Why did you put this comment on the duck thread. My opinion is that you should go away.
I have never watched soap operas on TV however I always look forward to the regular updates on Honey and the entire cast at Botany Pond. Why, even clear identification of the feature star is a mystery. Then, who will be the main swain(s)? Will there be more tiny feet and wings added to the cast the end of April? If so, how many? Wow – so much to look forward to. Kudos to the producer and director of this rich drama. Now I am off for a walk along the creek behind my home with a bit of frozen corn.
Yeah, from the sound of things so far, a long, hot one, with plenty of Gothic comings and goings, as in the movie of that name inspired by Faulkner’s short stories.
If you’re looking for a name for that new drake, I nominate “Ben Quick,” the accused former “barn burner” portrayed by Paul Newman, who instigates a love triangle and upsets the small-town tranquility of the Mississippi hamlet whither he arrives in the film.
This is getting like CSI:DuckPond, if I’ve got the trope right.
What are the odds the someone in PCCE’s professional circle being able to do some feather-protein fingerprinting. Or DNA fingerprinting, if there’s enough DNA in a feather. Some surreptitious nest-raiding, or a ducky equivalent of fly-paper might at least provide the evidence for next year’s uncertainty. Or a clear answer, if there is confirmed material from last year.
Is it common for mallard hens to break male hearts like Honey does? I thought they formed stable pairs.
Duck sex is quite rough. Sexual selection going on. The hen tries to choose a mate with the most fitness. The brightness of the drake’s yellow beak is often an indicator. Unchosen males may rape. They have large spiral shaped penises. At best there is seasonal monogamy for the winner.
Ooops, yellow bill. I forgot where I was.
Who will win Honey’s sexual urges? I therefore propose that the winner be called “Dar”. As in “Dar wins!”
Why don’t you capture them and put bands on their legs?
Would be easy to identify them if you banded them
It’s so good to be getting episodes of Honey Tales again.
Jerry
Are you already back in the US?
Did you like your stay in my city of Ghent (Belgium)?.
Maybe the male’s name is Randy Drake?