Curious: Do ducks get stuck in the mud?

[desertdarlene]

I was out photographing ducks and killdeer when my feet got totally stuck in the mud in an area that was recently drained. It was so bad that I had to pull my feet out of my shoes and walk barefoot and dig my shoes out of the mud (with shoes, I sank in about a foot, without, not so much). I noticed killdeer tracks around there and they've been sinking a half inch or inch, it looks like. But, the ducks didn't sink so much. I'm a little worried about my little killdeer breaking their legs in the mud, but they seem to be doing OK, not standing on it long enough to get totally stuck, plus they're lighter and have little pads on their feet for running around on wet sand.

But, do ducks ever get stuck in the mud? Do their web feet protect them from that? I'm just wondering.

Everyone's fine when I left, the killdeer, the ducks and geese, so this is just a curiosity thing.

 

[mrslb333]

I would have thought they don't as they're designed to live in that sort of habitat also they're lighter and the weight is more spread out on there feet, rather than us where it's all at one point.that's just a guess though.
Hopefully you won't get back and find them all stuck

 

[desertdarlene]

I hope so, too. I think the ducks/geese are having a better time on the mud than the killdeer who have little pads on their feet for running on the sand, but are not webbed like the ducks. I think there has been some killdeer who have had at least one foot get really stuck down a lot! However, I do notice that the ducks and killdeer seem to avoid the extra-muddy spot, which would explain why I couldn't get the ducks to come onshore to get some peas in that area.

I can only hope that the killdeer fly off before they get too stuck. But, we have a lot of juvenile killdeer who may not be experienced with the mud. I would be really sad if something happens because the chicks are just starting to live their adult lives and we have a little romance flourishing there between two teenage killdeer from opposite sides of the lake.

On the plus side, people, their dogs, and kids have been staying away from the shore in that area, so no one was throwing rocks at the ducks or chasing the killdeer around.