Following an all-day absence that worried me, our two mallard hens finally returned this afternoon. After giving them a big meal, I watched them for a while and photographed them, concentrating on the left side of the bill, as that’s the side I have photographs of. Here, for instance, are earlier photos of Esther and Hazel, recent denizens of the pond.
Esther (note the tiny black triangle at the rear of the upper bill):
. . . and Hazel (the newcomer, with an easily identifiable bill pattern). Tomorrow I’ll download the photos and see if either of our two hen friends are these ducks.
Hey – children from last year (or last time there were ducklings)?! 😃
THAT I will never know. No bill patterns in teenagers. If it is Esther I will know.
Good to see some ducks! 🦆🦆🦆
Aha! Even if they don’t become permanent residents, the ducks are showing an interest. That bodes well.
Hi Jerry,
Have you thought about training an AI model to identify your ducks?
Regards
Hardy
You need some more names for future females:
Henny QuackDonald
Henrietta
Henna
others?
Donna Henley (if she is an Eagles fan)
Dougweena Henning (after the magician)
Paulina Henning (after the TV producer)