Our duck flock has been acting strangely lately. They keep forming and reforming. We think they're trying to decide whether to stay as one group of eight, or split up into groups. Who knows how ducks decide these things?
I can tell you that a lot of quacking goes into the process. Shelby, the black-and-white possible Muscovy cross duck, is a loud quacker, so we always know when the group is in dispute about something. We have two Muscovies, two white domestic ducks, and four mallards, plus Rusty, the red-headed wild duck who's joined the group. There are five females and three males, which probably accounts for some of the angst. (Rusty's contribution to the gender mix is unknown at this time.)
Shelby and Corky, the two black-and-white Muscovies, should theoretically pair up, and sometimes do, but Corky likes a lot of 'me' time, so Shelby hangs with the group. The two white ducks, Gilligan and Mrs. Howell, appear to be a pair, but prefer to be with the group. The mallards are anyone's guess.
I enjoy watching their group dynamics...it feels like a mini-UN, except that they mostly get along. It's oddly cheering, in its own way.
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I could easily sit on your bench for hours and watch those ducks do their thing. For sure lunch would be nice there. What is the tall feathery stuff along the pond? It is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteThat's dog fennel, we think, and we love it. It's pretty now, and really pretty when it's green. It really adds a nice touch. The guy who owned the house before us actually killed it all with Roundup so his cattle could get to the pond. I'm really glad it came back!
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