It started out with two drakes this morning. Then it began snowing and then there were three (photographed from my office window):
Now there are SIX. That’s Gregory in the foreground, doing his best to defend the pond and drive the others out, but I dare not feed him lest the others stay:
What the deuce is going on out there? Does snow make the drakes go to ponds?
“Does snow make the drakes go to ponds?”
One of life’s imponderables!😊
Maybe ducks don’t like flying in the snow and they happen to all be drakes because the hens are sitting on eggs. ???
Maybe water is freezing over somewhere nearby?
oops, I see that hypothesis has been discarded below…
Could the interlopers be previous offspring of Honey?
Good question. Last year I was wondering what would happen if the offspring returned to the small pond. I imagine though, that they will have to slug it out with the rest of them.
I was wondering the same thing, and if the professor would have a whole passel of peckers to care for.
Snow. Fighting ducks. There is nothing like a spring day in Chicago.
Male Mallard mayhem!
If you want ducks, just add water.
Could other lakes/ponds have frozen over – urban heat island effect keeping yours liquid perhaps
Not likely given that it’s been warm and nothing is frozen over right now, not in the area.
I think they were hatched there! last year’s ducklings. Indeed, I wonder if being fed as ducklings reinforced the association & has stopped them dispersing? But if that were the case, where are the females? I always thought there were several drakes for every duck I saw… is there higher mortality of females? I cannot see why there might be – I would expect higher male mortality as they are more easy to see…! Interesting!
Ah but did the snow bring the ducks or did the ducks bring the snow?
Like I said on your previous post – it is Game of Thrones in duck land. Winter is Coming.. 😀
And I said they were evolving into a social species.
I think these ducks just landed. They come from away.
Humans helping ducks
https://twitter.com/L0vingnature/status/1117042335874002949
Nice to see and hear good news once in a while. For another bit of cheer, it is being reported that there has been three new calves of the North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis, spotted off the New England coast. Last year there were none, and with only 450 or so left, every calf counts!
Thanks for posting this heartwarming video!
You’re gonna need
a bigger boatmore duck names.The great winger Frans Peckenpower.
The tennis playing duck Boris Pecker (on second thoughts, perhaps not).
Bill Clinton, obviously
Drako Malfoy
Duck Ellington
Or if we just wish to be deferential:
M’lard
If female names are needed how about:
Anna Tid?
You may want to get ready to avert your eyes. Things can get – well, interesting in the duck world!
https://oscarwildebeast.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/your-sex-life-is-boring/
Maybe their “womenfolk” were all sitting on eggs, and they were bored and lonely and looking for something to do.