A beautiful drake arrived at Botany Pond when I was gone and, of course, Honey has taken up with him. We call him “PC” for Prince Charming:
The lad:
With his damsel, Honey (she always gets the pick of the drakes):
Honey has a boyfriend
September 25, 2021 • 1:45 pm
Great news. Though I’m probably being a bit premature in thinking about the ’22 brood of ducklings…
I think Honey deserves a fling during the off season. 😊
🦆👏😄
Something I don’t understand. Why do ducks pair up outside breeding season? Recreational sex?
My guess is that it serves priorities for both. The drake will later be the one most likely to mate when the time comes. And for the hen, the drake will chase off other drakes.
Richard Prum’s book ‘The Evolution of Beauty’ features ‘duck sex’ in the case to be made for aesthetic mate selection. The “duck’s tale” is more complicated and interesting than one might imagine. I predict this would be great read for most WEIT fans.
Watch out boy she’ll chew you up. She’s a Maneater.
He is a regal looking drake. Does he have any conspicuous markings so you can identify him when/if he comes back next year?
He looks like the kind of duck who just knows how smokin’ he is.
Swimmin’ like he’s The Duck of Flowers https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Loras_Tyrell
Don’t know why, but ever since the pandemic started, I’ve had urges to binge watch GOT from the outset. Then I remember the last season and slump. Those last episodes had their moments, but man, talk about an epic let-down.
So I hated the last season so much that I refused to watch the series again (for the I-don’t-know-how-manyeth time) because of all the wonderful storylines I’d see that I knew wouldn’t pay off, the characters who developed into such deep detail and all that detail would be forsaken for convenience, etc.
But lately I’ve started watching it again for the first time since the massacre of potential and expectations and competence that was season 8, and I’m really enjoying it. Just finished Blackwater last night. It brings back memories, and since it’s been since season 8 that I’ve even so much as glanced at something GoT related, you can bet I hated season 8 as much or more than anyone you’ve ever known. I don’t really even like season. 7, though at least it has its moments, and I still had hope for a great final season at that point…
Thanks for the encouragement…maybe just watching seasons 1-7 would be a satisfying venture.
I’ll never understand how D&D just…abandoned the show. They built so much, gave so much reverence to the source material, and then just shit all over it because they didn’t feel like doing it anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive them for ruining 60 to 70 groundbreaking, culturally important, widely enjoyed art, for the sake of their own convenience. And it’s not like they needed to work on it for another five years to get the ending right! Maybe they just needed to put in one, two, or three more, and then they could do what they wanted for the rest of their careers.
Yeah, I’m still pretty damn bitter 😛 And yet I’m still enjoying my latest rewatch, so I guess that says even more about how great it was…
Good for Honey. You go girl!
That is a handsome fellow! Nice yellow bill on that one.
The drakes around botany pond are very difficult to differentiate. We could identify Shmuley (Honey’s previous mate) by his smallish beak and its color, but I’m not sure I could pick PC out of a lineup of mature drakes. Luckily right now there are only two drakes at the pond, PC and a drake who is not in his mature plumage (we call him “drako”- he likes to chase the other ducks.
I’ve never looked at a duck and said, “wow, that’s one handsome duck!” Until now…
Good on ya, Honey!
Some duck questions for Professor Ceiling Cat (emeritus):
In early August, I found what appeared to be an abandoned mallard duckling in an ornamental pond on campus. There was no evidence of a mother or siblings (nor have any turned up since). The pond is artificial but has a stand of tall sedge and is full of snails etc – transient aquatic inverts for our area. However, I thought it best to supplement its diet with corn and peas. Well, now we have what looks to be a fine young adult hen, who is polishing off about two cups of c&p daily. Does this sound like enough for her? She still dabbles and appears to be finding food that way, but she scoffs up what I give her as well.
Also, how long before she learns to fly? Her flight feathers seem to be fully-formed, and she does that rearing and win-flapping bit, but I’ve seen no evidence of flight. She can’t get out of the pond – the walls are low but vertical – and I’ve been wondering how much open water she needs to achieve takeoff velocity. It is going to begin getting cold soon here in Alberta.
Any informed advice would be welcome.
You need to give it high quality duck pellets from Mazuri, probably the ones for small ducks, and build it a ramp so it can get out of the pond by walking. They start flying at 6-8 weeks after birth.
Food (not cheap but it will help your duck; your diet lacks protein): One bag should suffice, give in very small handfuls till duck is sated:
https://www.mazuri.com/mazuri/outdoor-bird/waterfowl/waterfowl-starter?viewState=DetailView&cartID=&portalUser=&store=&cclcl=en_US
And email me if you have any questions–any at all. No duckling left behind!
Thank you – I will see what I can do.
There was a ramp but Grounds removed it when classes started. It’s difficult to get their attention if you want anything done.
Oooh! Very handsome!