Duck Dynamics...

The goslings may have left us, but the ducks remain. I had mentioned earlier that the duck interactions have been strange. We started with two male mallard mixes (Walter, with the bigger white ring around his neck, and Gus) and a female mallard mix (Miss Penny). Then someone brought us a white domestic duck (Gilligan). Gilligan was the odd man out for a while, and was punished in assorted horrible ways when he tried to join the group.

Then he and Walter became friends for a while, and his principal attacker became Gus, with Walter occasionally trying to defend him.

Now, in an odd twist, Gilligan is in and Walter is out. Walter spends a lot of time alone now, just like Gilligan did before.



Gus often chases Walter if he tries to join the group now. But he and Gilligan are best buds.



Miss Penny is oblivious, as she has been all along. (She's the small one in the picture above.)

Or at least, she seems to be oblivious. For all I know, she's inciting the whole thing...whispering gossip in small duck ears...making false accusations....

No, no, not Miss Penny. It couldn't be....she seems so sweet.



And then sometimes they all just get along....for no apparent reason.

How distressingly like human beings...