Saturday duck report

I haven’t been able to post duck photos or videos for a while as I changed computers (orders of the University, which is a bit authoritarian about such things). Anyway, a crack IT guy helped me restore things, and I have some pictures and photos to post. More will be coming as I get up to speed.  But today I want to show you how much my ducklings—or rather, Miss Duck’s ducklings—have grown.  Today is their “monthiversary”, as it was four weeks ago today, on Saturday, July 18, that they hatched, and they appeared on the pond the next day.

Miss Duck laid five eggs in her nest on the ground, situated in a niche of the Student Union. I learned of her nest from a student, who reported it to me two days before hatching. It was bloody hot then, and I left a pan of cold water by her for two days.  I hadn’t seen Miss Duck for the entire month she was nesting, and if she came to the pond for food or water, I didn’t see it. She must have had a rough time of it, which is one reason I now spoil her and her brood.

Miss Duck laid five eggs, and four of them hatched. I took the unhatched one and put it under a heat lamp for several days, but no dice. The egg must have been infertile.  But she led four healthy babies all the way around an adjacent building and into Botany Pond, where I first saw them early Sunday morning, July 19.  By then the drakes had gone, and I had great hopes that this brood would stay until fledging. And—knock on wood—so it will be.

Here are the four on July 20, only one day after they came to Botany Pond.  They were adorable. I treasure this as one of the best duckling photos ever. (Click all photos to enlarge them.)

They are still adorable but now, four weeks later, they are going through what we call their “awkward teenage phase”as they shed their duckling down and start growing feathers, In another month they should be about ready to fly.

They are all healthy and vigorous, and Miss Duck (named because we ran out of monickers) has proved to be one of the best duck mothers I’ve seen—right up there with Honey the Duck.

Here is a photo taken yesterday, with mom and brood sacked out on the edge of the pond after lunch. Miss Duck is keeping guard nearby, but is also catching a few winks (she doesn’t sleep for more than a minute or so before waking up to check on everything).  You can see the mixture of feathers and down on the babies: they’re starting to look like miniature ducks.

Here’s a full and tired duckling. Note the stretched leg and the tiny feathers on breast and wing:

Head shot of the baby above:

And the lovely Miss Duck. She’s proudly displaying her conspicuous speculum (lovely blue bar on the wing feathers). Miss Duck is distinguishable by her long neck, her grayish color, and her dark black bill with an orange tip.  I hope she returns next year.  Her brood is very late (they usually appear at the beginning of May), suggesting that she re-nested after some unfortunate circumstance.  She is not one of the hens who nested earlier in the season.

I love to hang out at the pond after I feed them all (three times per day); it’s very meditative to watch the ducks, even when they’re sleeping. So many people walk by, see them, and pull out their phone for a quick shot, but I would like to tell them to hang around a while and actually watch the animals. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m often there to explain things. In fact, I get so many questions from visitors that I’ve though of preparing a FAQ sheet to give to people.

People have been generally well behaved around the ducks and do not bother them, so they’ve gotten pretty used to people. I worry a bit about that if they migrate, for it may marginally affect their chances of getting shot, but they’re sufficiently wary that my worry is not large.

Since I have no kids, my genetic legacy resides in the DNA of these mallards, and nearly a hundred others that I’ve helped raise over the years.