The New Generation Is Arriving

Do we call these newbies Millennials since they were born after the year 2000 and they will reach adulthood within a few months?  Naw, we'll just call them ducks. They started out with 10 but are now down to 4.  Not sure if the local hawk is getting them or a turtle that makes the pond its home.  I only say that because someone told me that a snapping turtle was found in the road and placed in the pond and I've heard that they will pull small ducks or geese under.  I've never looked into that story.  At any rate, here they are and I'm pretty sure the last 4 will make it as they have tripled in size.

Duck

Just enjoying a swim, I guess.

Morning Fog

Earlier this morning there was a photo opp that my wife woke me up for. These are a couple of pics of some ducks taking off into the light of the sun and fog. They go eat breakfast some place else and then return for the day. I was literally looking pretty much directly into the sun. In less than 5 minutes the sun was up high enough to make the fog off the pond negligible. Thought a ND filter would have been nice but....

And Then There Was One.

There are fools born everyday and there are reports for those fools not to become fools.  These two siblings were dropped off in the pond next to us.  They are as big as the Mallard babies which are approximately 10 weeks old.  The Mallards are close to starting to try out their wings, just haven't grown the long tip feathers.  These two, however, are far from that.  The wings are not more than 2 inches long.  

Someone bought then thinking their kids would like them.  Not one thought of how to raise them and get them ready for the real world was ever used.  This morning we can find only one.  It is calling out constantly for its sibling.  There are other ducks in the pond, Mallards, but they don't have anything to do with them.  If anything, these white ducks are afraid of them.  

I call the one in the back the Fonz because of his duck tail (DA).  Looks like he's saying "DAD?"

This is the only one left.  Whatever got its sibling did a good cleanup because there are no feathers.  Maybe on of the local hawks.

Chester Returns for a Visit

In the spring of 2010 we had a duck show up with 3 babies. We also had one that had 8. The mother of three had issues with other ducks in the pond. It was as if they were out casts, constantly getting picked on. One day we noticed that the mother wasn't around but her babies were. Then after a day or so she showed up. We had seen other young, presumably, first time mothers abandon their young after about a month or so. Problem was she had been injured. Her left leg, wing and side had been injured when she was attacked by some animal. I figured she had saved her babies and kind of sacrificed herself.

We had feeders out for other birds and the ducks would always get underneath to get what was dropped, however, this mother and her offspring would be chanced off. Now there was plenty of food in the pond but, they do like cracked corn and I guess it was a treat. I started hand feeding, tossing food to her only, so she could get healthy. I called all kinds of animal care places but no one would do anything....part of nature I guess plus she had babies.

About six weeks later one of her babies showed up the same way. This baby died, it was injured just too much to help. It was a sad way for it to go. It laid on the bank of the pond one day, drained of energy as it was very hot. I put food right down in front of it but it barely ate. I even made sure it had water by digging a hole near it. We were working out back and noticed the duckling start to move towards the water. It meandered out near the middle, rolled over on its back and literally drowned itself. The mother of the eight started quacking. All the babies, hers and the two of the injured duck got on the bank and huddled together. This mother was a seasoned mother and, like elephant matriarchs, knew what to do and directed the funeral, if you will. They stood in attendance for over a half an hour constantly looking at the corpse. Only the older female and the injured mother stood in the water.

Well, life goes on. Earlier this year the injured mother duck came back but not with babies. She had a male with her. They spent a day or so here and then left. Yesterday she showed up again, with the male and came back again today. We started calling her Chester because of her limp, couldn't think of a good female name to represent the limp. As you can see the foot and leg are there but as she swims the foot and leg leave the water. When she stands on the ground the foot is kind of curled up and is only more like a crutch for balance.

Maybe next year she will be back and have some more babies.

Reflections of a New Addition to the Pond

Last year we had a Great Blue Heron and a White Heron join the ducks and geese that frequent our neighborhood pond. Late in the summer a Bittern showed up. I had to use a friend, Abe Lincoln his real name, help me with finding out what the bird was. He has tons of birds on his blog.

Well, this year we have had a few geese and only one set of baby ducks so far. There were eight but one now missing. There have been several Blue Herons but no White ones. One of the Blues has to have a five foot wing span. Interestingly there are not one but three Bitterns. Not sure if they is a pair amongst them or not. They are of the Heron family but they don't seem to wade out as much, they fish more from the bank.

Looking for Dinner

A few days ago a mother duck lost her babies in a storm drain. It wasn't long before a city worker spotted them and helped them back to safety. There were 8 and all were saved. Only 7 in picture but last one arrived shortly after this was taken. There were two males, that along with the mother, were frantically running up and down the curb quacking all along. I would have missed this had I not happened to get up from the table at lunch and catch it happening.

A day or so later another female duck was in the same area but didn't have as good of luck. I don't know if she was too trying to get some chicks out or just happened to be in the street. The geese and ducks tend to walk across the street here to go from a non-pond side to the pond behind our house.

The next day after seeing the duck lay in the street one of the local buzzards found dinner. Problem being dinner was at the corner of a very busy intesection. I figured it would either be one of the buzzards or a hawk that we have in the area that would make a meal out of the duck. Final out come though was the buzzard couldn't take the traffic and one of the street crews picked the duck up this morning, not the same guy that saved the babies though.

The buzzard flew by the hawk on the pole to say "it's all yours buddy". You should have seen the little bird to the left, just above the wire, do a 180 degree flip when it found the hawk on the pole. Below is the hawk on the neighbors deck last year.

The hawk on the neighbors deck last year.

Ducks Are Like Elephants....Sort Of

About a twelve weeks ago or so, we had several families of ducks in a pond that is "L" shaped around our house.  First there were 13 but in just a matter of days this was down to just one and its mother.  We figured the mother to be a young duck because she didn't stick around for very long.  My guess is that by the time this little one was 4 to 6 weeks old the mother was gone.  All the little thing did was swim around the pond calling for its mother by going peep peep peep.  Hence, we called it Peep.  We worried about it on stormy nights and whether it knew to stay near or in the water for protection from critters on land.  It would follow large ducks around during the day but at night, it was anybodies guess.

I would guess that at about eight weeks of life for this little guy another mother of 13 ducklings showed up.  This mother was definitely older.  She stood vigil over the babies all the time.  However, she too lost a few over time.  She got down to 7 and stabilized.  She would not let Peep join in her group.  Peep had to swim with the larger ducks or pay the price of having some feathers plucked out.

About another 2 or 3 weeks went buy and another mother duck showed up with only three little ones.  There were 2 that were darker and larger and one that was lighter in color and smaller.  You cannot tell the sex of ducks at this age.  This mother was also a good mother in that she stayed with her young, watching their every move and teaching them things. 

Did you know that ducks dive?  They do this in a playful manner as well as a way to wash their feathers.  They do the bottoms up eating thing where they literally go head down, butt up, all while there feet are paddling so that they can eat whatever is just below the surface.  Well, this is something the mother teaches her young.  We saw most of the seven diving one afternoon but two were not so the mother swam next to them and pecked at their backs.  One dove without hesitation but the last one was stubborn.  I guess it didn't want to get water in its ears or up its nose.  The mother was more force full, she won, they were all diving.

Sometime just before the 4th of July we noticed one of the adult females was injured.  It was the mother of the three.  I had started feeding them cracked corn, you shouldn't feed ducks bread, and they got to where they would get quit close to me.  There is something about territorial boundaries in duck-land.  If I was feeding the three, somehow the seven knew it and would come a running.  Their mother would then chase the three off and any other duck that got too close, males included.  Well, all but one male, he must have been dad.  This created a problem with the injured duck because she too would be ran off and she wasn't strong enough to get away quickly.  Her injuries turned out to be really bad.  She had lost the use of her left leg and wing.  Part of the wing had been torn off, the long flying feathers and there was a gash under the wing where something got hold of her.  I would end up protecting and feeding her myself.  It got to the point that I would put food out and when it was gone she would quack at me for more.  She ate out of my had and her little ones would do the same as well as climb into my lap. 

Two weeks ago a duck showed up out beside the house and it looked really bad.  I thought it was the injured duck  and she had taken a turn for the worse.  I took a close look and it was the same leg and wing.  The wound was open (again I thought) and it had maggots on it.  I finally realized it was one of the three and was one of the larger ones.  I watched it for a couple of days, personally feeding it and trying to get water to it.  I saw it moving around in a field, looked just like its mother, hopping to get places.  Then, weekend before last we were working out back near the pond and we noticed it wasn't moving.  I went to check it out and it was very weak.  All of a sudden, it jumped and turned facing the water.  It layed there for about a half an hour and then went in.  I don't know if this was a suicide on the ducks part or that it thought it could get in.  We didn't see it get in but when we noticed it, the poor thing was on its back trying to right itself.  It would loose effort and its head would go under water and then pop back up for air.  During this time, the other ducks stood on the bank of the pond and watched.  They made no sound.  When the duck finally drowned, the mother with now 6 babies started quacking.  She moved all little ducks off the bank and up towards our yard.  Only the mother of the drowned duck, a mother of two new (4 wks old) babies and she stayed in the water.  They just stood there watching.  The wind blew the little thing towards the east end north side of the pond.  I would guess 20 minutes went by before there was any action on the part of the ducks.

Just three or four days earlier one of the 7 babies made a big mistake and didn't get out of the road fast enough.  It was hit and died instantly.  Again, all the ducks came and stood by the road as if to say their good byes.  They couldn't see it happen as the pond is 15 feet below the road.  There is no sound to be heard and yet more than 12 ducks stood in observance.

The drowned duck finally floated to the other end due to a large rain that raise the pond level to where it was beached near the house.  After a couple of days I went down and buried it.  It the time span of being beached and a couple of days after the burial, the mother and the siblings would lay near the deceased duck.

This is why I say, Ducks Are Like Elephants...Sort Of.  They don't move the dead like elephants do but they surely seem to recognize that there was a death.  One of their own and even if it was from another family.

The pictures will be self explanatory I hope.

THE FUNERAL

A New Neighbor In The Neighborhood

A new addition has come to the neighborhood by way of mother nature.  We aren't sure if it is the same family that was here a week or so, or a new one all together.  The first family had 13 offspring and there is either only one now or this is all the mother had.

We live on a pond so the wildlife is always changing.  Our worst guest is the geese.  The ducks, herons, hawks,frogs and toads, big toads, and fish are just fine.  Geese are just plain annoying with their noise, fighting and of course constantly leaving their calling cards.

We have a red "laser" light like the one people use to point with that can be used at night to run them off.  There is something about the light that really annoys them.  It is totally legal, in fact, it is the only thing that is allowed to be used to get rid of them other than a trained dog.  You can't shoot them except during hunting season and that has a small bag limit.  You can take as many down as you want as long as you use an airplane with people on board but you aren't really allowed to run over them with your much safer car.  It is like going to Michigan where if you hit a deer you must report it.  You won't get into trouble but they like to know for some reason.

Anyway, getting back to the new arrival, we think the mother is possibly from last years brew.  She knows to come up to our deck and quack for us, even when we aren't outside.  She knows the sound of the slider screen when it is opened.  We also figure she is a young mother because she comes to be fed and she lets her baby come too.  Two years ago a duck had 13, lost one right away because some brat kid threw a rock and hit one.  Then he said, Mr., do something.  The little thing was moving but upside down with its feet skyward.  The remaining twelve got reduced to six over time somehow.  Maybe the hawks in the area?  As the summer wore on they got closer and closer to one day they climbed up on the deck and ran around wanting fed.  Point here is, the mother never got close.  She hung back watching for danger, be it us or something else.  There was constant low sounds coming from her as she directed her young.  If she called them, they didn't quack back one more minute, they took off for her protection.

The male with the mother is the dad we assume.  He is the only one allowed to hang around.  The other males are just here.  Bachelors.

The Family

The new arrival

Along side mom

Heading back to the pond