It’s chilly but sunny today, and the weather is predicted to be warm for about a week. The good news is that the interloper drakes have largely fled the pond—at least for today. This leaves just Gregory Peck, who has the whole pond to himself. He’s down there snoozing in the sun right now, but he had a decent meal of duck chow and corn this morning.
Yesterday, however, there were five—count them, five—drakes in the pond, and feeding was out of the question. The interlopers are all about the same size, and look (to me) young. Sometimes I wonder if they might really be part of Honey’s brood from last year, having homed back to Botany Pond. It makes me sad not to feed them, but it wouldn’t do to have five drakes around if Honey returns. (And there’s always the distressing possibility of incest!).
Here are the five from yesterday:
And the very handsome Gregory Peck, still waiting for Honey’s return:
Duck population explosion? Next year 10?
Maybe one day PCC(E) would have the time or desire to compile all the sagas of Botany Pond into a coffee table book. I always find these posts interesting and charming.
Just how sure are we that Honey is off tending to her eggs? How do we know the little harlot — we recall her promiscuous past! — hasn’t run off behind Gregory Peck’s back with some drake version of Tyrone Power or Cary Grant?
“My dear, the final ‘t’ is silent as in Harlow”
LoL but how do you know who is who? They all look the same 😂
Gregory is larger than the other ducks, has a purpler head, is dominant over them all, and quacks more or less constantly when he’s swimming.
When you spend a lot of time with ducks, you get to know who they are.
Surely these drakes would be better off going off and finding some hens rather than hanging out with other drakes at Botany pond. Male bonding?
So, Gregory could be their father?
Likely not. It’s possible that Frank is the father, if these are part of Honey’s brood from last year.
Gregory sure is a beauty.
If a hen and her brood all return the following year to where the brood was born, wouldn’t that make incest very likely?
For that reason, I would assume duck behavior has evolved such that the brood dispersed.