Ok below, we have the gang. Louse and Bubba are to the right of the screen. The gang shows up but as soon as I walk out, they know the routine. Slowly they march to the pond. I do toss corn to them over the fence. I am not that mean. They understand the yard belongs to the matriarch, mate and offspring--grandchildren etc. I have to really pay attention to how she behaves around the ducks to determine if a few are related to her. Usually the related ducks fly in with her first, then the others, mostly males, or drakes, fly over later. They usually linger around my pond until molting is complete, which is soon. Then most fly south. Bubba and Louise usually stay around here, or within a few miles from my town. All ducks can fly now, but as they molt and replace ugly brown with gorgeous colorful mating feathers, they'll lose flight feathers. I think many stay around our pond because during their vulnerable molting, they feel safe here. We have plenty of hawks and other predators, but they can avoid Hawks. The do disperse to various locations when the heavy molting occurs.
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AuthorI like to write about people, animals, dogs. I enjoy ideas, good books about ideas, funny books about ideas, funny people who have ideas, advocates for people who don't have voices to express their ideas, and animals who have ideas we can't understand. Archives
November 2021
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