Two Ducks

My house is on six acres with a two acre pond. It's visited by all kinds of migrating ducks and Canadian geese. This year we watched a pair of those geese raise five young. It was exciting watching the flight training and getting to see the final circle over the water before the family disappeared over the ridge.

A single duck had kind of stuck around during the comings and goings of the small flocks of teals, mallards and widgeons. A bit large for a mallard, but I could see through the scope his beak was a bluish-greenish color, so he's a male. One day, when my friend, Diane and I were feeding the trout, this duck came pretty close to us. Diane threw the fish food as far as she could, and he gobbled it up. "He's starving!" she said, "Look how close he's getting. I bet I can get him to eat out of my hand." And he did.

I've always liked ducks. I had them as pets when I was a kid. My first summer in Anacortes, when I didn't know anybody, my dad gave me a pair of ducklings to play with. They were happy, funny little companion animals.

The day after Diane's visit, I was shopping at the Co-op, and I thought I could get the duck some whole grain bread until I could get to the feed store for proper food. The seed-encrusted loaf with the peace sign on the label looked about right. I went to the little dock at the edge of the pond and I could see the odd duck a ways out there. I tossed a few pieces of bread overhand, and he cautiously swam to them and ate them. Then I dropped a few pieces just below my feet. The duck zig zagged a bit and took them.

Hmmm.... I sat on the step that descends to the dock, several feet from where I'd been standing and tossed some chunks on the dock. He hopped right up and took them, and started waddling toward me. As I started tearing more chunks from the loaf, he got impatient and climbed into my lap to grab the entire loaf! A very nice bird, we visited for quite awhile. I got to stroke his feathers and he nibbled at my toes.

This is somebody's pet.

Brown duck is having a last lunch before being crated for transport.

I don't know how he wound up at our place, but he wouldn't be safe here. There are coyotes, golden eagles, bald eagles, otters and all kinds of villans a tame duck wouldn't know about. The next day I went to Skagit Farm Supply on my way to work to get a bag of proper chow for the duck. I asked the cashiers if they knew anybody who would like a nice little pet.

I should talk to Gary, said someone. Gary came from the stockroom, and we introduced each other.

"They say you might take this tame duck I have," I said. "He's such a nice bird I hate to think of him getting eaten up on my pond."

Gary said, yeah, he'd take him. He kinda collects ducks. He has khaki campbells, pekins, racers and mallards. They follow him around while he does yard work and his grandkids like them. His lot edges Gages Slough so they even have a fresh water source to play in. He takes a few eggs every spring and incubates them to hatch them safely just so the kids have ducklings to play with.

This man likes ducks. We made an appointment for Gary to receive the duck the next Friday. "I'll even give you this bag of food for being such a good guy," I said.

The pass was made, but I'd forgotten the duck food at home. Since Gary's on vacation, I'd have to wait a couple weeks to get it to him.

In the meantime, at the apartment complex we had an especially nasty move out due to an eviction. The tenants were selling drugs, letting small children run loose, and getting regular visits from police and CPS before they finally vacated. Under a tarp on the patio I found.... a white duck. Emaciated and dehydrated, very quiet, just hours from death's door. She was stunted in growth due to malnutrition and neglect. Poor, poor thing.

I've taken her home and cleaned her up and after a week she can walk around and quack. Very sweet creature, friendly and gentle. She's strong enough now for a regular pen and a washtub of water to play in. I'll go see what Dad has in his scrap pile tomorrow. He has all kinds of materials back there.

I'll post a picture of what the white duck looked like when I got her, and in a few weeks I'll show you what she looks like plumped and feathered-out. You can see here she wasn't even getting enough nutrition to clothe herself properly.

Gotta get her gorgeous for Gary. I think she can charm her way into his flock.