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My springtime visitors return. If anyone wonders whether ducks have memories, this is the third year that I’ve had the same mallard ducks raiding my bird feeders. My two somali’s really enjoy their visits. Last year I had 3 mating pairs taking turns & occasionally getting into spats with other males. I guess a sign Spring is here, but we’re due for another snow/ice storm later this week.
They’re cute to watch. I now know where that old saying “shake a tail feather” originated. Think it was a song too. Whenever they move around or get ready to take flight, they shake their heinies! So cute.
I had an unexpected visitor.The tiniest lizard I have ever seen perched on my baby giraffe’s horn.
Every act matters.No matter how small💞
(Wanted......Toaster Dragon)
Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.😍
Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm😍
I can hardly wait for Volume 3,The Purple Dragon….if I’m not mistaken.
Every act matters.No matter how small💞
(Wanted......Toaster Dragon)
Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.They’re back!!! This is the fourth year that my Mallard duck pairs have returned. It still amazes me that after migrating thousands of miles, they seem to find their way back to specific homes where they know we put out treats for the critters. I take this as a sign of Spring when they arrive. Only wish I had a pond in my yard so that they might nest nearby so I can catch a glimpse of the baby ducks when they hatch.
We have a lone male mallard skulking around right now… no clue where his lady is!
We put up the nest last week and I think a merganser couple may be renting the place. Last year, wood ducks were checking out the place, but she found it lacking… it was a hoot seeing her peering inside the nest (which is a wooden box with a lid and a hole, really), little butt waggling up while her head and neck were inside.Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmThe males constantly try to steal other females from their mated pair in a battle of whomever is the strongest wins. I’ve had to breakup a number of fights between the drakes last year when I had 3 pairs coming here for food, and a roving band of drakes looking for females (which appear to be in short supply). The males are very protective of their mated female & fight to the death. Might be what happened with your male sulking. Once they pair off, they don’t leave the sides of the female until she hatches the eggs. The males are even protective of birds or chipmunks getting too close to female. This guy above used his beak to flip a chipmunk a foot into the air when it got to close to the female while both were feeding.
Cool that you built a nest for them. I may give that a try. I guess they really don’t need water until the eggs hatch. Surprised that right after birth, the babies immediately follow mom over to the water source & get swimming & food lessons.
I was at the grocery store last year, & all traffic stopped because a momma duck was leading her 13 baby ducks over to water source, but the one lagging took 4 attempts to get up the curb. Wish I had pulled out my cellphone to get video of it.
How sweet.
Every act matters.No matter how small💞
(Wanted......Toaster Dragon)
Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.I was getting worried that my Mallard pairs might not return again this year as we had reports of flocks of dead mallards found on the shore at Lake Michigan which they suspected had gotten bird flu, so was surprised last night t see one of the pairs show up for some seeds for the fifth year in a row. Cheered me up as I had to euthanize my Somali cat 2 days before Christmas, and the Hawk had been terrorizing all the critters in my yard eating one of two baby bunnies born last year, and a blackbird & vole. One of the two mallard females is so tame that she waits for me in the morning to fill up the feeders and feeds right next to me without fleeing. The others aren’t as tame as she, but she’s not shown up yet.
The picture of the hawk appears to be right after he ate a baby rabbit and was so full, he couldn’t move off the ground for nearly an hour.
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