Rolling Plains Master Naturalists, by Kim Mason 1:02 a.m. CT Feb. 18, 2017
A female mallard duck dines at a ground feeder filled with cracked corn.(Photo: Kim Mason/Special to the Times Record News)Buy Photo
On a clear winters morning, the sunrise was unremarkable, but, the bird show was spectacular.
Wrens and doves dotted the brown meadow. Several blue jays, cardinals, and mockingbirds sat upon bare branches. A pair of mallard ducks flew in and dropped helicopter fashion onto the pond. Next, a blue heron joined the couple. The serenity of the moment was disturbed when a hawk landed in a nearby tree. Within milliseconds, every small bird vanished. Only the heron and the mallards remained, too large to be breakfast for a small hungry hawk.
Since they do not like deep water, mallard ducks are frequent visitors to our small, shallow pond. Sometimes its a duck couple, but, occasionally its one female (hen) and two males (drakes). No matter the number of drakes, the duck lady is always the boss! The hen will waddle her way to the bird feeder, and the male(s) follow politely behind her. They wait patiently while she eats bird seed and cracked corn. When boss lady is done dining, the group will follow her lead. They waddle off or take flight as she decrees.
In addition to free feeder food, mallard ducks enjoy an omnivorous diet including fish, larval insects, wormsand aquatic plants. They belong to the duck group called dabblers. Instead of diving, these ducks feed, or dabble, just a few inches below the surface of the water. They will also dine on cultivated crop seeds.
In the past, mallards have been visitors at my workplace, Presbyterian Manor, a retirement community. A pair of mallards selected a courtyard for a nesting site. The pair was oblivious to the fact that a large expanse of glass had created a nursery viewing window for excited onlookers. Residents and employees line up along the window to watch the duck display.
The female selected an elevated planter box and proceeded to construct her bowl shaped nest in the soft dirt hidden between the shrubs. The male stood guard as she labored. She lined her nest with leaves and down feathers pulled from her own body. After the nest was constructed, the male disappeared. Everyone watched, with pregnant anticipation, as the single mother incubated the clutch of almost a dozen greenish-white eggs. The continual question was Have they hatched yet?
The incubation period of 28 to 35 days seemed like an eternity. Finally, the day of hatching arrived! Everyone was amazed when each newly hatched duckling jumped out of the planter box and dropped several feet to the concrete ground. Seemingly uninjured, the ducklings shook off the experience and took off running. Unfortunately, one egg was a dud and remained unhatched.
Ducks enjoy a fairly long life. The oldest known duck was over 27 years of age. Sadly, he was shot, in Arkansas, in 2008. He had been banded in Louisiana in 1981. The average duck lifespan is about 20 years. Since there is no fear of gunshots on our property, ducks can safely enjoy their casual lifestyle. The Mallards (drake & hen) like to sit upon an old wooden pier to preen, nap and enjoy some sunshine. And, the Masons (my husband & I) like to sit upon our lawn chairs to enjoy yet another bird show. If youre just a big kid at heart and love nature, consider joining Texas Master Naturalist. The Rolling Plains Chapter is offering a spring training program that begins on March 7. The training sessions are held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursday in March and April and conclude on May 4. The training also includes four nearby field trips on Saturdays. It is permissible to miss a few classes and do make-up sessions at later date. The class is $100 and includes a great reference book about the flora and fauna of Texas.
The deadline to sign up and pay for the classes is March 1. To sign up and pay, please contact Robert Mauk, robert.mauk@tpwd.texas.
Learn more about the Rolling Plains Master Naturalists at: http://txmn.org/rollingplains or contact chapter President Terry McKee at dgm59@aol.com.
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Mallards provides weeks of entertainment for TCC staff - Times Record News
