First, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Ducks, particularly very young ones, should not be fed bread, except as a very occasional treat. This was one of those occasions.
Yesterday I was down at the lake with a friend, Alice Dreger, attempting to go swimming off Promontory Point, one of the most beautiful locations in Chicago. (You may have read Alice’s books, including Galileo’s Middle Finger.)
But the water was too cold for us (about 60°F; see the penultimate paragraph of Alice’s bio), so we had a picnic instead. After we’d finished eating, a family of MALLARDS swam by. There was a mother and five of her offspring, identifiable to generation by size and feather color. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a mallard—not a single one has even stopped by Botany Pond—and I was delighted.
I was even more delighted when the group climbed up on the rocks where we were sitting. I had called and whistled to them, but it was too much to hope that this was Esther and her brood. Still, they were very tame.
Then I realized that I still had some bread left: half a baguette. Although Facilities and I prevent visitors to Botany Pond from feeding bread to ducks, as it can cause abnormal development of the wings of ducklings, I also knew that an occasional bit of bread won’t hurt them, and these wild mallards surely weren’t given much bread. So I fed them, and they were HUNGRY.
Alice took some photos. Here’s one on its tippy-toes reaching for a morsel of baguette.
I was SO happy (and so were the mallards)!
Alice took a short video of the feeding (seagulls tried to intrude, but the ducks drove them away). After the bread was gone, the mallards lay down at our feet for a rest. They were remarkably tame, and it was soothing to relax while the duck family relaxed a few feet away. All I can say is that it was a great afternoon and, as lagniappe, I slept like a log last night–for the first time in at least two months. I think this calls for a new form of therapy: CDT-I: Cognitive Duck Therapy for Insomnia. Who isn’t delighted and calmed by ducks?
This is GREAT to hear – in particular PCC(E)’s theory – which is His – CDT-I.
A breakthrough!…?
So cute! Lovely pics. I remember reading that you shouldn’t feed ducks a lot of bread as too much will deter them from eating the things that they need to but, as the saying goes, a little of what you fancy, does you good 😂 They look like they are enjoying it.
There’s a small lake near our house where people fish, kids swim, and folks feed ducks. Despite signs everywhere talking people not to feed the ducks, a few can’t resist. So, the ducks—mallards—are unbelievably tame. As soon as people approach the water, they come a-paddling. They seem to be healthy—albeit slightly crowded—so I think they’re OK. Crows are always nearby as well. They know a source of food when they see it. By eating the Doritos, bread, and other “goodies,” the crows may be inadvertently keeping the ducks from ingesting too much junk food.
You have posted many memes on your website in the “Why you need a duck” vein. I’m glad to see you taking your own advice, and even gladder that it worked!
Quack! Quack! 🦆🦆🦆
You have made the comment that I was thinking of making.
What would explain why this brood is so much later than Eleanor’s brood? Could it possibly be a second brood?
And wow, I didn’t realize how cold the water is in Lake Michigan, even in August. I don’t wonder that you found it too cold for swimming. It’s the same temperature as the beaches I’ve gone to off of the coast of Maine, and I’ve never been able to endure going in that water much above my knees. It hurts!
Aw, happy ducklings. Glad to hear you got some sleep.