Things are quiet at Botany Pond, as the female duck (not Honey) rarely visits, and when she does she incites all the males in the pond to fight by flying over the pond and quacking loudly. Inter-male carnage ensues. There is often more than one drake around, and although I’m feeding Gregory Peck because he’s a caring drake to his hen, I won’t feed the others. (I’m going to need a name for her.) If I can’t drive the other males away with my Super Soaker, nobody gets fed.
There was a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) by the pond a few days ago, and it returned the next day. I watched it for a while and then shooed it away. These birds eat ducklings, and I don’t want them hanging about. (By my calculations, we should have ducklings within two weeks). Last year, a heron appeared when Honey was in the pond with her ducklings, and she went nuts, quacking hysterically until I shooed it away. Still, these herons are magnificent creatures. (This is an iPhone shot taken early in the morning, so excuse the poor quality):
While walking around the pond to try to feed Gregory (he’s gotten skittish as he sometimes gets spooked when I squirt the other drakes), I saw that Facilities had, at my request, done something really nice: they put a layer of soft dirt directly below the third-floor window where the hen was nesting, covering the cement lip right up to the pond’s edge. This is to cushion the fall of the ducklings when the mother calls them to jump after hatching. I am immensely touched that these folks cared enough to do this:
Yesterday afternoon the hen made a rare appearance, for she rarely leaves the nest. I immediately fed her and Gregory, and they had a good snack. But then an errant drake flew into the pond, and the hen immediately flew off, quacking, while Gregory engaged the interloper and drove him onto the grass. I squirted him away. (I don’t even have to hit the ducks with water; they just see the stream, which doesn’t reach them, and take to the air.)
As much of a domestic scene as you’ll see in the Pond: Gregory and his unnamed mate. They are eating Mazuri Waterfowl Starter Chow (it’s suitable for both adults and ducklings, it floats, and the pellets are small enough that ducklings can take them).
Gregory: the Dude abides. (He waits 24/7 for the female to finally enter the pond with her brood.)
The lovely hen. You can tell it’s not Honey as she doesn’t have speckles on her bill. I still have hopes that Honey is nesting nearby, but that might mean there would be two broods of ducklings in the pond at once, not a scenario that I like to contemplate.
And look who showed up yesterday afternoon: two Eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus)! One had the normal wild coloration, while the other had a brown head and white body—surely a hybrid between someone’s domesticated rabbit and a wild one:
This guy wasn’t too spooked so I was able to get quite close to him (or her):
Cleaning:
The half-white one. I saw it the other day; it was easy to spot in the pre-dawn darkness. I hope it doesn’t get spotted by predators and eaten:
Can you spot the rabbit? This is dead easy!
And a short and mediocre video of the brown bunny. Look at his nose twitching!
Isn’t that like, ya know, water off a duck’s back?
Re dirt for a soft landing: Nice to know there are good people around.
+ 1
When I first came to Idaho, I saw rabbits around the yard and thought they might be pygmy rabbits which are a rare western species. But, I began to notice the cotton tail. Now I think they are desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii). Looks like they do not have as pronounced an eyebrow as the eastern variety.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_cottontail#/media/File:Cottontail_age_comparison-2.jpg
Very kind work by Facilities personnel!
I agree wholeheartedly with Norm Walsh @no.2. But I’d wish for more vegetation to cushion the three storey! fall. (Why does WordPress mark “storey” as misspelled? It’s a real word)
Is there a plan in the works re the geese? Can’t you convince those responsible for the relocation to transport them somewhere else? But I think they’re government and would surely go bureaucratic on you
I’m work on the Incipient Goose Issue.
Successful hybridization between cottontails (Sylvilagus, a North American native) and domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus, from Europe) seems a priori unlikely. A quick search does not turn up any reliably reported cases.
You are right. As far as I know not even in the lab with artificial insemination they are successful. They are though to be about 12 MY diverged. So, likely coat colour variation in Sylvilagus. Pretty cool!
Thanks; I am ashamed that I didn’t look this up!
2 typos today:
… she want nuts,
… I them squirted him away.
It seems that, with a bit of luch you may be slowly inching towards a regular baby bunny and duckling “aaaw” show!
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/duckling-and-baby-bunny-mark-taylor.jpg
luck
How about Jemima Puddleduck for the new hen, after the Beatrix Potter book?
I like that.
Me too.
This is all so cool.
I think we might need a new addition to PCC (E)’s name too given that he’s attracting so many animals these days.
And kudos to the guys who provided the soft landing for the ducklings!
Great blue herons will eat chicks. They are very opportunistic feeders. For a few years I participated in a wading bird survey. One of my observation sites had a osprey nest and the nesting ospreys always chased away any great blue herons in the area until their chicks fledged. They didn’t bother the egrets or any other type of heron.
Beautiful photos! Esp. the portrait of the wannaby killer (I mean the heron) – it is quite an artwork.
New hen – Veronique, which I believe was the wife of Gregory Peck. Seems kinda apt for her.