When I first saw the Mrs. though the window, and ran to get my camera, she was far back in the yard with web feet rooted while Night Duck strode forward toward the duck water pan and it's adjacent pile of bird seed with a glance back now and again to see if she was getting the idea.
By the time I got back with the camera, Mrs Night Duck had closed the distance and appeared to be heading for the drake.
Not so. She marched over to the feeder and started shoveling it in. This told me that though she was a bit shy at seeing me at the door she likely has been here before and knows where the fresh supply of bird seed is everyday.
Night Duck isn't looking all that happy that Mrs. Mallard is between he and I as opposed to he being between us. I decide I'll head towards the garden and stand behind the Milkweed, which will place him in the middle again. Not that they won't know I'm there but somehow they seem to feel better when there is some kind of barrier.
I round the corner of the garden and stop dead. Who should be grazing behind the mulch pile but one of the baby bunnies. I think we're up to nine now. This may even be Strawberry Bunny (And you wonder why the garden is fenced.) who has a tale all his own rather like Peter Rabbit. One day we'll get around to the Tale of Strawberry Bunny.
But the issue at this point is that if I hold to my plan, I have to get past little bunny. And likely little bunny will take off like a shot hippity hopping toward the spruce trees and in the meantime spread the panic to the ducks, who'll take to their wings, and that rather defeats the whole comfort plan.
I turn around and retrace my steps. Except this time I stand further back from the flower bed.
Drake doesn't notice at first but Hen does. As does the Mourning Dove and the squirrel who likely wonder why I'm acting so uncharacteristically furtive.
Night Duck then cares very much.
As does the Mrs.
Squirrel could care less and Mrs Night Duck takes the cue.
Part of the trick here, is not to cause the Mourning Dove or the squirrel to flush, which tends to cause everybody to flee. In this case of course the Dove and the squirrel are regular visitors who are used to me so likely Mrs. Mallard is taking their behavior as a partial clue to my possible identity as a non-predator.
But by the time I'd made it back to the front door, gone in, and am looking out the glass door in the back, everyone is gone.
Best laid plans and all that...
Then a day later, SURPRISE!! I look out and there they both are hunkered down under the feeder giving me a look...
They then go back to the business of eating which entails putting their bills to the ground near their bodies and sliding their bills forward "shoveling" whatever into their mouths. Bits fall out here and there.
The "bits" are the non-eatables. No they aren't sloppy eaters. They're very selective eaters.
It turns out that Mallards have a dozen or so receptors in their mouths which start "selecting" what is eatable and what is not. What is not is chucked out, as the mouthful travels from the front to the back of the mouth.
Who knew?
Without having fingers to do the selecting, while having eyes in the sides of your head which makes seeing what your bill is shoveling in not all that stellar, it makes perfect sense.
Evolution is a wonder.
Donegal Browne
Photo courtesy of http:www.palemale.com/
Hopping and flapping is well under way on Fifth Avenue! Their is one off and one on at Pale Male and Zena's nest.
And the NYC Raptors Group, a congregation of many of the major hawkwatchers, bloggists, the Horvaths, and more rehabbers in NYC, has already been extremely busy tracking and sometimes rescuing this season's fledglings.
It
started out because citizens who'd come across a raptor in distress
would sometimes leave a message on NYC Audubon's phone after hours,
sometimes they'd email one of the bloggists, or attempt to find a
hawkwatcher in Central Park. And through no fault of anyone, the
message wasn't always gotten to someone who could help in a timely
manner.
Now
when word comes into any of the above, that at hawk is down, a
fledgling is in a dangerous place, there are kestrel fledglings running
around on a sidewalk, a Red-tail stranded, the person contacted puts the
word out electronically to the raptors group and whoever is closest,
capable of dealing with the problem and available takes off to help,
often seconded by others if necessary.
MORE TO COME
I first saw the Phantom Feeder Mallard on 9/6, 6:43am. Though he'd already been spied availing himself to bird seed by several of the neighbors.
He seems somewhat human habituated as he's looking at me and hasn't taken to his wings yet. Was he a farm duck who took off in the Spring looking for just the right hen?
Or is he a duck who has availed himself of human largesse at a duck feeding area or other bird feeders?
Or is Duck not feeling his best and has been set upon by other ducks and forced off of his usual feeding area?
No apparent injuries.
As I watched Feeder Duck, he made his way to the center of the yard and for not apparent reason other than it was time to go took off.
I'd never noticed before but when a mallard jumps up into flight his feather pattern becomes the face of a large mammal. Had you?
Then Mallard not only appeared in the morning he began to appear towards evening as well to "share" the feeder seeds with the rabbits.
Actually he and one of the does spent their feeder time making unexpected jumps at each other attempting to drive the other off. (Their interaction on video which blogger doesn't want to accept.)
In the meantime, Mallard began to investigate the yard and it's surroundings fully aware that I was watching.
He waddled over and checked out the open door to the garage.
One of the ex-farmers in the neighbor group told me that if Duck had gone in the door we'd have known he was a farm duck. No such luck.
Maybe he's thirsty? Having no wash tub or kiddie pool, I went in, grabbed a sheet cake pan, went out while he watched and filled it with the hose. He watched. Then I went and got a bunch of seed and visibly sprinkled it next to the pan.
Now what would he do?
Well, he strode over, had a nice long drink and started in on the seed. Then he laid down and ate. Is he okay?
7:33 PM Now Night Mallard, comfortable next to his
sheet cake pan of water, takes another bill full of bird seed from the
mound now and again.
And just sits there. Night Mallard has become somewhat of a celebrity, and the neighbors are fascinated.
6/10-7:51PM, Still resting. Though I and the neighbors were all watching, when we compared notes, Night Mallard had skedaddled to somewhere else without anyone seeing where he'd gone.
When I looked again at 1:40AM, Night Mallard's place had been taken by a couple of young cotton-tail rabbits.
Then he missed a day. Oh dear. Hope Phantom Night Mallard is alright.
6/12 Ta da!! I came across the yard from the garden and guess who was watching me from the other side of the clothesline.
The Phantom Mallard strikes again.
As per what he was waiting for, I went into the house to get a big container of bird seed and when I looked out Phantom Mallard had made his way over to the cake pan for a long drink of water. I went out as he watched and dumped a big mound of seed under the feeder and went back in the house.
Duck and I are doing a "dance" to find the boundaries of what is acceptable to each other in the way of behavior. So far he is pretty much calling the shots as to acceptability.
7:53PM No dumb duck, he then proceeded to the mound of seed, made himself comfortable and dug in.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I then went out the front door, and around the house to the back hoping for a better photo. Phantom Night Duck gave me a look, I took the shot, and retraced my steps.
My , my, what might tomorrow bring?
And now back to our beloved Red-tailed Hawks --from Jules Corkery chief watcher of the Astoria Nest of Andromeda and Atlas--
So the last two babies are off the nest. The larger one is high up in a
tree(the tree is pretty scrappy and not a lot of leafy coverage) in the
quiet zone on Hoyt Ave North and 19th Street. The smaller one flew under
the bridge behind the tennis court atop the hand ball court wall and is
now exploring the ground under the bridge. Definitely maneuvering about
pretty well.
I saw him poop so that's a good sign.
The wind is picking up - hopefully they find a nice place for the night...
Little guy is practicing his hunting skills by stalking abandoned tennis balls! Too cute!
And from photographer and hawkwatcher Peter Richter in response-
Hey Jules,
I was just there taking pictures, must have just
missed you. The 3rd eyas fledged while I was there but I didn't get to
film it. They both look good and Andromeda fed the smaller one that
fledged first while I was there. Bobby will release the first fledgling
this Wednesday in the afternoon.
Regards,
Peter
If you haven't checked in with the Franklin Institute Hawks lately, Robin of Illinois reminds us of the great photos and info on....
http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/
