Apr 20, 2018

Our Neighborhood Family of Ducks

For as long as we have lived here, we have seen the ducks in the spring. Oh, not at the lake, or the park, although they are there too. We have a family of ducks that lives right here in our neighborhood, and they aren't shy either.

A couple of weeks ago when the kids were off track, the female walked right up to our front porch! It wasn't long before her beloved followed her although the mallard never got quite as close as she did. Curly took Twizlet to the doorway and they stood there and watched them for a good 10 minutes. Not even Twizlet's near constant shouting of "Uck!" seemed to bother them.



That is why we were all so devastated a few days later when someone hit and killed the mallard right in front of our house. I'm sure it wasn't a vicious act, but simply an accident. Drama Queen scooped it up and carefully disposed of the body before my little ones had a chance to see it.


But like everything else, life goes on. Another mallard has graced us with his presence and appears to be seducing the female. Or maybe he is simply watching over her. After all, that's what families do.

2 comments:

Rockey said...

I'm sorry for your loss. As a bird lover, I really do feel it. Also, as a bird lover, I wanted to make a nit-picky correction. They are both mallards. That's the type of duck. A male is called a "drake" and a female is called a "hen." But they're both mallards.

~R (obnoxious little brother)

LeAnn said...

Wow, I have a similar story! We have ducks that live across the street and walk over into our yard all the time. Yesterday, one was hurt and my husband put it in a box and called a vet in our ward. He didn't get back quickly enough so it died. We felt so bad. Our grandchildren were very concerned and my husband had to dispose of it.
I do love to watch how they care for one another. Now there are two lonely ducks out there.
Blessings and hugs!