Just Ducky

.... and Geese-y, to be completely accurate.

I took a walk in The Park for the first time in a long time. I've been so busy with all the other ways I've gotten involved with animals that the place that started me in this direction -- The Park and all the animal regulars in it -- have fallen on the back burner. * hanging head* Isn't that just like life... I never want to take things for granted that are that special. So I got myself there, with bread and cracked corn in my pockets.

I've written often about the ones who I developed relationships with, Mr. and Mrs Goose probably getting top billing (had to say it). So the first two I looked for were them. They are the biggest and the loudest, so they are not hard to find, if they're not resting deep within the thicket on the island in the middle of The Lake. Thankfully I saw them right away, padding around in a rather soggy patch of forest, pecking at greens, which seem to be a daily part of their diet.

However, when I held out a little bread, it got their attention!


I included this second picture because it shows both of their faces in profile. It's worth clicking on the picture to open and see how beautiful they are. And she, who is the smaller of the two and in the lower right of the picture, has features that just look more feminine, even though their markings are almost identical. She looks like she has a more almond shaped eye, or up-swept eyeliner on....


And then there was Elvis.... the Muscoy duck. Once in a while I don't see him but overall he is a fixture, never straying from the edges of the reflection pool


And I also saw the third of my top three favorite buddies, the Indian Running duck. I don't have any name for him but as I've written here, he quacks me up with his adrenalized personality. He runs faster than any of the others over to me, and can't stand still be cause he is so revved up. He quacks at rapid speed and also stamps his little orange feet. So funny.


As a result, most of my pictures of him are blurred like the one below, because he's in such constant motion. And he's in the middle of talking to me. Fast talking, fast walking, very verbal... this duck could easily be a New Yorker (said fondly, as I consider myself to be one -- a New Yorker that is).

He looks like he's saying: WHERE WERE YOU??? DO YOU LIKE SQUIRRELS BETTER THAN US NOW????

The answer is, no.

I'm quite smitten with them all.

Just Ducky!

Look at this face!

Who couldn't love a face like this? I see this picture, or this one...

(even if it's a little blurry, the comedy still comes through)

...and I just have to SMILE

This fawn and white Indian Runner duck belongs to the zoo, and is the first animal I took out on grounds for the visitors to enjoy after I completed my animal handling training -- the last part of the close to 9 month training process it takes to become a proper docent.

This breed is aptly named, because they don't waddle, they run, and when they get where they're going, they often stamp their feet as if they are very excited, or had a lot of Starbucks. There is only one Runner in The Park, and I took a shine to him right away because of these charming antics. CLICK HERE to see him.

While this one is trained to be held, I found he was more comfortable when I set him on the top of his carrier. Think about it. Ducks are low on the food chain, and anything bigger than it, trying to hold it is akin to being caught to be eaten. While this duck was doing fine in my arms, I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible, and he was very well behaved while standing. I was impressed!

I've grown to LOVE love LOVE ducks and geese after spending quite a bit of time with them at The Park next to my house, where they reside in abundance. I've gotten to know who hangs with whom and what their personalities are like, what each pecking order is, etc. In fact, between my time there, The Zoo and The Rehab Center, I have come to have a real respect, love and appreciation for all kinds of living being that I never thought I'd feel that way about.. all because I have spent some time learning about them and observing them.

They say you can't hate someone who's story you know, and I believe this is true for animals as well. It's one of the things that attracts me to educating folks about them. The more people know about any animal, the more they may be respectful to them, teach their children and grandchildren to do so, and hopefully that will extend to caring about preserving them and their natural habitat.

It takes a lot to get a duck to trust you. This one was delightful -- well behaved (though he tried to pluck off my buttons and name tag repeatedly til I hid them) and very responsive to what I was asking of him. It's been in the triple digits here for most of the last three weeks (CLICK HERE). Though we stayed close to where he lives and I parked us in the shade, after 20 minutes he looked so hot, I packed him up to take him back for a dip.

And I think it was just the right thing to do. Without delay, he walked up his little plank and posed at the edge of his personal pond.

I took a little movie for you to see how he cools off.... At 100 degrees, I was ready to join him.



That quacking has quickly made the short list of my favorite sounds.

I look forward to taking this one out again and introducing him to many more people. And now that I've introduced him to you, what do you think?

I'm Sweet on This One

I haven't seen him so far this spring but my favorite duck in The Park, besides Elvis of course, is this one:

He's a stand out from all the others in my mind, a truly special guy. His little chest is narrow, his beak is orange (not the usual yellow or brown or black), and his slim, rubbery feet match. His feathers are a nice caramel and white color, so he's quite well dressed overall.

When he sees that I have food he runs faster than any of the other ducks; his little webbed feet carry him impossibly fast to my side. He even swims faster than the rest, as you can see below.

His head darts in all directions, as if he's had one too many coffees. I think he'd just a very excited little duck!

I was standing above him on a bridge dropping bread with one hand, taking movies with the other. He comes swimming up at lightening speed and you can even see how his funny feet paddle madly to keep him in place. It's so comical! He amuses me to no end!

(that high pitched honking in the background signals the approach of Mr and Mrs Goose - click on this or on Elvis to read about them. The three that swim up are Black Bellied whistling ducks, but I call them Squeaky Beaks, for the high twittering little noise that they make)

It was no surprise then that when I got home to research what he was, I learned that he's called a RUNNING Duck! No lie. He is the only one in all the waterfowl that are at the park, and at the several other little lakes where ducks and geese collect themselves, I have never seen another.

He's truly one of a kind.