Duck Videos Thread!

[Julie Birb]

Isn't that crazy?  The Family contains ducks, geese and swans but within the family they are all over the place more like an impressionist painting than a structured tree.  Mr. Shelduck sure is pretty too! You made a little puzzle out of him by calling him a shell duck.   I think our domestic ducks are somewhat limited because most of these birbs fall under international migratory waterfowl treaties so the wild stay wild and the Mallard based ducks are what the Europeans had already domesticated.  All these other ducks were probably just hunted by their local humans  around the world without domesticating them prior to the treaties so they never got to be a spoiled rotten pet.

So true I did and I didn't know it. His plumage looks like a puzzle. I had no idea there were so many variations of bird in the web kingdom. I envy the people that made a career of studying these birds. The beauty is infinite. I never knew treaties existed regarding the welfare of them but it's obviously a good thing. It is totally domestic birds' fault for being so cute and spoiled. I am glad so many people have and love them so much.

 

[quackingdom]

OK, half on track (video anyway). Anyone who loves the web-footed must see the mating dance of the blue-footed boobie. They aren't in the family Anatidae at all, but they are great to watch!!!

Hey!

That's not a duck video! You're posting dragonfly pictures on duck picture threads, booby videos on duck video threads, and soon it will be “What is this mosquito thinking?” Just kidding.

Blue-footed boobies used to be one of my favorite birds. I've seen this type of thing on tons of nature documentaries. They're funny birds.

And I just remembered...my ducks DO love being sprayed with water. It just can't be fake rain. They hate it when I improvise water from a hose, but they love standing in the rain. Crazy ducks.

 

[Julie Birb]

Hey!  That's not a duck video! You're posting dragonfly pictures on duck picture threads, booby videos on duck video threads, and soon it will be “What is this mosquito thinking?” Just kidding.

Blue-footed boobies used to be one of my favorite birds. I've seen this type of thing on tons of nature documentaries. They're funny birds.

And I just remembered...my ducks DO love being sprayed with water. It just can't be fake rain. They hate it when I improvise water from a hose, but they love standing in the rain. Crazy ducks.

How do they know the difference? Smart birds probably can tell the water isn't "real" somehow.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee, thank you for the tag Miss Lydia. Love love their bloo webs. So cute. Their faces too. They are so proud of their webs. I would be. I am surprised they cheat but it's nice they do stay with their spouse for the kids. My fave scene was when one came in for a landing in slow motion and his webs were way out in front of him.

Tony, thanks for posting it. Stunning birbs.

I posted it mainly for you Julie. I know how much you like webs and well blue dancing webs are just special

 

[Julie Birb]

I posted it mainly for you Julie.  I know how much you like webs and well blue dancing webs are just special

Thank you so much Tony. I appreciate it. I loved it and enjoyed watching them dance. Beautiful birbs. And I learned something new. Booby means clown.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

My ducks greeting the morning as caught by surveillance cameras. They don't have audio, so nether does the video

This was the first morning where there was a little snow on the ground and also on the steps good thing they don't have too far to fall. After roll call, they begin to plan their day. First order of business, determine if the kiddie pools have frozen over...

 

[Julie Birb]

My ducks greeting the morning as caught by surveillance cameras. They don't have audio, so nether does the video This was the first morning where there was a little snow on the ground and also on the steps good thing they don't have too far to fall. After roll call, they begin to plan their day. First order of business, determine if the kiddie pools have frozen over...

Oh, Tony. I loved it. Alot. Precious, precious things coming out one by one and then moving over to the enclosure. Tevye was the only individual who flapped his wings. Love him. Thank you for posting. PS: almost lost sight of him, he blends incredibly well with the snow.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Here is the other side of the coin. (Added some music this time for your distraction.) Here the ducks tuck themselves in all on their own. We were out with them today until about 10 minutes before this video was taken. We want them to be able to go in by themselves so we usually leave them alone then check on them but even when we do stay in the yard, they will break away from us and go in when it is time. The door is set up with a last call feature. It closes, then about 7 minutes later it opens and then 5 minutes later it closes again for good. Many times (like this one) the ducks wait until it closes the first time then they go in on the last call. I jumped forward when the door was closed, and when it stayed open afterward since nothing happens then. When they don't have the big swimming pool, they are about 95% reliable. (5% of the time someone - or everyone doesn't make it in.)

This video also shows why I hope Kaine settles down. He is an excellent flock tender. He usually goes in the house about half way through the flock and then he is the gate keeper while the rest of them are going in, then he checks out the yard to make sure everyone is in and nothing else is there, then he goes back in himself. When he isn't hormonally insane, he directs and guards the flock like the leader he should be and he is always very alert.

 

[Julie Birb]

Here is the other side of the coin. (Added some music this time for your distraction.) Here the ducks tuck themselves in all on their own. We were out with them today until about 10 minutes before this video was taken. We want them to be able to go in by themselves so we usually leave them alone then check on them but even when we do stay in the yard, they will break away from us and go in when it is time. The door is set up with a last call feature. It closes, then about 7 minutes later it opens and then 5 minutes later it closes again for good. Many times (like this one) the ducks wait until it closes the first time then they go in on the last call. I jumped forward when the door was closed, and when it stayed open afterward since nothing happens then. When they don't have the big swimming pool, they are about 95% reliable. (5% of the time someone - or everyone doesn't make it in.) This video also shows why I hope Kaine settles down. He is an excellent flock tender. He usually goes in the house about half way through the flock and then he is the gate keeper while the rest of them are going in, then he checks out the yard to make sure everyone is in and nothing else is there, then he goes back in himself. When he isn't hormonally insane, he directs and guards the flock like the leader he should be and he is always very alert.

All I can say is, WOW!! Brilliant. How you timed the fading song with the door closing for the night was incredible. This video gave me chills and brought me to tears. Really. Kaine is amazing. Bless him for being the overseer and protector. Thank you for the treat, Tony.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

All I can say is, WOW!! Brilliant. How you timed the fading song with the door closing for the night was incredible. This video gave me chills and brought me to tears. Really. Kaine is amazing. Bless him for being the overseer and protector. Thank you for the treat, Tony.

Thanks! Kaine is amazing and that is why it was driving us crazy. When he was on his hormone high, he was attacking Tevye and earlier in the year Pocahontas, then later Greta and he attacked them all the time - he ripped feathers out of them mercilessly (somehow Tevye faired better in that regard than the girls.) Now his hormones are "normal" it has been 3 weeks since we have seen him act jerky in any way. Now he is just a leader. He barks orders and the flock seeks cover or goes over to the feeder or goes in the house. He runs patrols around the flock. He is very vigilant and he monitors them all the time. When a fight breaks out between ducks, he either monitors it, or breaks it up - I am guessing from what I have observed that if it is a pecking order challenge, he officiates, but if a duck much higher on the pecking order is just bullying a lower duck, he breaks in and keeps the peace. So normally he is a very valuable member of the flock. But when he is attacking / endangering (by not letting them in the house) his own flock, he is a problem. I am hoping that this being his first mating season and he was effectively teenage crazy that it was abnormally bad. Hopefully next year he doesn't react quite so radically against members of his own flock. If he is as bad as he was this year we will either have to re-home him or make him a permanent solitary pen and shelter for the spring/summer. Either option would be sad.