Who came for Dinner?

 

    For the past couple years the number of mallard ducks spending time in this part of the river has been growing. This may be because of a population increase. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with the passing of a dear friend of mine several years ago. She lived along Water Street in Sauk City near the railroad bridge. For years she and her husband would feed the large gathering of ducks and geese in the small wetland area along the river bank. If the ducks ventured too far out they'd be caught by the strong current rushing under the bridge. There's a large sand bar on the other side where they can spend the day resting and, on a good day, catch some sun rays.

One year in the spring a pair of mallards appeared in my yard. I thought it would be cute to have ducklings waddling around so I started to feed them. I remember that it was in the early eighties because Ronald Reagan was president. Being the first family of ducks in my yard I named them Ron and Nancy. Needless to say my love affair with the idea was short-lived. They turned out to be far too messy. Thankfully I found this out before they started to nest. Now I admire them as they swim and feed in the river. In the spring and fall they are joined by many different migrating ducks, which soon move on. During the fall migration the common mergansers and golden-eyes join them, with the mergansers staying through the winter.

   One neighbor feeds the mallards on the bank by their house. Apparently one day they ran short of food so about twenty of them marched right up my bank. Not finding much to eat, most of them moved on. A small group decided to stay and rest. This was cut short by a squirrel running through, scaring them off.

   People living through-out the entire Northern hemisphere are familiar with this duck. There's no doubt what you’re looking at when the male (drake) appears. Its coloration is a sure give away, starting with its emerald green head to the gray and chestnut body separated by a white neckband. The black and white tail is enhanced by feathers that curl upwards. As with most birds the female is less colorful, but in flight she sports iridescent white and violet-blue wing bands. She has a black stripe running across her eye. Mallards are members of the group called dabbling ducks. This term refers to the feeding habit of dipping or upending with the tail in the air while gathering seeds, roots and aquatic plants from under water. A fact I found interesting is that the loud quacking is produced by the females. I'd better add that it's probably for defending the young. The males have a soft rasping quack. During nesting, 9-12 eggs are incubated, while the male returns to the flock. Through hybridization, they have been the source of many breeds of domestic ducks.

  

   My take away from all this is to be prepared for what you'll find if you feed ducks in your yard.