My wildlife photos: ducks (of course)

Don’t forget to send your good wildlife photos. I have a decent reserve but can always use more.

Here’s a short duck report in lieu of other wildlife, but be mindful that these mallards are wild animals.

It appears that two more of the oldest brood (Katie’s) flew the coop last night, though this may be temporary. I am told that it was at about this time last year (at two months of age) that Honey’s ducks began leaving in dribs and drabs. I won’t be too sad to see them go, as we have plenty of other ducks to tend and I’ve done all I can for Katie’s offspring, who are fat and healthy. It’s time for them to begin their ducky lives in the wild. My one fear is that the female offspring in the group (26 total offspring, not counting the one dead subadult) will return here next year to breed, and I’ll be up to my tuchas in ducklings.

In the first photo, and in the video following that, you can see all three broods in the pond, in this case well separated. Daphne’s nine ducklings are in the foreground, foraging on the beach, then Katie’s eight big ‘uns in the middle ground, with Anna’s eight in the distance.

 

The only fractious behavior I see is at feeding time, which is understandable as they don’t need to compete for anything but food. Each mother dominates the mothers who gave birth after her, and is able to chase away their broods. But every mother can chase away offspring of other mothers so long as the older mom isn’t around. It’s interesting to see the hens become very aggressive when a subadult duckling approaches their own brood. They put their heads down, parallel to the water, and swim at the others, forcing them to swim away rapidly.

When not feeding, the broods can be very close to each other. Here are Daphne’s and Katie’s broods (youngest and oldest, respectively) only a few feet from each other. Curiously, there’s food around, but no antagonism.

Now that her ducklings are flying, Katie has begun to molt, and she’ll be flightless for a few weeks. Our Secret Duck Farmer, at my request, recovered one of her prize speculum feathers—a nice keepsake:

Daphne’s young brood, beginning to develop the spiky look that precedes the growth of real feathers. I love it when they huddle together at naptime. Note the nictitating membrane covering the eye.

This duckling’s foot looks not only oversized, but positively reptilian. And check out that small, stubby wing with the white line on it.

A short video of Daphe’s ducklings swimming around near the beach. I think they’re fleeing the approach of a larger brood.

Katie’s brood. Notice that their primary wing feathers are fully formed, and are crossing at the rear. This was taken several days ago when all eight were around; this morning I counted six. Can you spot the flightless Katie?

Anna, who hasn’t yet molted but will within a few weeks—when her brood is finally able to fly:

And the unnamed fourth female, who never had offspring and was always chased away from the pond by the other moms. I felt sorry for her, and sometimes think she is Phoebe, the shunned duckling in Honey’s brood last year. But that’s unlikely. She does look sad, though. She hasn’t appeared in over a week.