"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Odd Couple, A Sweet Pair of Quackers

This was an unlikely pairing to me,kind of like joining together a closed umbrella with a toy duck. The tall, skinny duck is a female Indian Runner. The little guy is a Call Duck. He quacks louder than most big ducks, and he flies. She does not. She runs a little faster than the average duck, she leans forward and runs..looking like a closed umbrella with legs, running fast! I did not think they could actually mate and produce ducklings. Watching them join together on the pond was like watching a ship with a little dinghy on top....it took quite an effort on the little guys' part, but he was persistent!
Mama duck laid many, many eggs and was diligent in her nesting.
The little guy waited , watched and and fretted around her. I could tell he wanted to go swimming in the pond and forage for bugs and slugs, but he stayed close to his sweetie pie. Then came the nightly raccoon raids. We could tell the raccoons were trying to grab the ducks and eggs through the pen wire and finally, for their own safety the pair of ducks left the nest to sleep in the middle of the pen where raccoon hands could not grab them. I ended up putting a few duck eggs under one of my bantam hens, believing the little guy really could not possibly have fertilized the eggs.....but look! He did and here is one of the two ducklings. I was happy for this! First , because I wanted to see what a pairing like that would produce, and second, the Odd Couple were the only 2 survivors of the coyote attack last winter that killed all the rest of my flock, so any ducklings to survive and grow should have good survival instincts. Here is one of the ducklings, grown up. They both look similar, and are smaller than most of my ducks, a little bigger than their father, and as loud as him. They both fly too. They are pretty nice ducks, I am thankful to the Odd Couple! By the way, they stick together pretty closely, and Mama Duck seems to be the leader in the duck flock, with Papa Duck chasing away any male duck that approaches his gal! They really are The Odd Couple.

15 comments:

Mary said...

A little family of suvivors...oddly mated ducks (funny vision of it anyhow)...smaller ones with big quackers. I love it.

Have a great day, Kathy!

Sandy said...

Your odd couple is pretty cute! What a sweet litte duckling too. I have always wanted to have a pond and raise ducks. Since we live on a ridge there is not a really good spot for one on our property, well, except for the small garden one with gold fish. I imagine they are a beautiful sight floating on your pond.

Thank you for stopping in to visit. Yes, grandchildren are very grand indeed! I hope you are enjoying yours.

Deanna said...

So glad you've shared these Quackers!
They vary so in size and shape.
It was a fun post to see.
From one Nature Lover to another may you have a great day,
d

Nancy M. said...

What a cool story! Yay for the odd couple! I'm glad their babies made it. They're cute!

Southern Comfort said...

Maybe they are so close because of the coyote attacks. They are survivors-together. I am really rooting for your odd couple and am so glad you showed us pictures of their babies!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

How AAAdorable! Love seeing photos and hearing about the quackers. Predators are rascally and deserve a bonk on the head. I'm having raccoon problems here as well as feral cats and, sometimes, red foxes. Thankfully, no coyotes although I hear them nightly as they sing to each other across the valley.

A. Joy said...

Giving hope to short men everywhere! Neat to see the whole story put together and see the baby grown up! What will you call this new breed? 'Running Calls?' 'Town Cryers'? Hmmmm...

Susie said...

Oh that baby duck is just precious. I love all those cute little duck pictures and the story of the Odd Couple.

noble pig said...

I love the odd couple...it just proves opposites attract.

KathyB. said...

Mary, that is perfectly worded "oddly mated ducks". Thank-you!

Miss Sandy,the ducks are beautiful floating in the pond and sleeping under the fruit trees in the orchard. They can be pretty messy and smelly to keep if there is not a big body of water for them , as they constantly dirty the water in small containers they cannot resist. But two call ducks would be nice, they stay very small and mess is minimized and easy to take care of. They will eat goldfish though.

Deanna,Nancy M. thank-you.

Southern Comfort, they seem permanently bonded, neither let the many new male ducks interfere with their relationship. Even Mr. Eyelashes can't compete, but then I think he loves me!

Thistle Cove,the news has been full of raccoon attacks around here. Several people have been attacked and bitten by raccoons in their own yards, and many pet owners are losing their pets to raccoon attacks. I don't think most people realize how vicious those cute animals can be..and they are very smart and strong , so quite able to inflict a lot of damage on person and property.

A.Joy,funny! See, the little short guy CAN get the swift super-model! I like "Running Calls"!

Susie, the baby ducks have grown to be very nice ducks to have around. I like the cross, thank-you.

Noble Pig, opposites do seem to attract, I am proof of that, my Hubby and I are very different...probably why we do well together! ( I tell myself)

Mary Bergfeld said...

That really is fascinating! I didn't know that was possible. I really love that you shared this with us. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet story!

I have given you a blog award - come on over.

Flower said...

Charming story and it's real life!! I really enjoy hearing about your animals and their habits! Joy and pain! :)

KathyB. said...

Mary, I didn't know it was possible either, so it was a nice surprise to me.

Kenleigh Acres, I will stop by. I am wondering if your call ducks have some similar cross breeding?

Flower, thank-you.Joy and Pain for sure!

Connie said...

What a fun happy post, Kathy. Those two remind me of Mutt and Jeff. HA!