Do ducks "stand guard"?

[Miss Lydia]

I love the fact that my 2 Runner drakes are always at attention and then our Rooster is our main point guy if he gives a warning it’s every man for himself as they all take off running. My Muscovy drake is so lazy he just leaves it up to the others and my gander is so busy standing over his mate he rarely knows anything g else is going on. Strange group I have here.

 

[thumper650]

This!! Do not get me started....
The Air Force/Army idk which, does flight training about once a week and whatever their course is...comes over our house

We live near a very very small airfield. It’s mostly small planes and little ultra lites, basically a lot of flying go carts!
The ducks watch them all closely, sometimes even commercial aircraft we can barely see!

 

[Miss Lydia]

They can sure pic things out can't they? It's amazing how good of eye sight they have. It's the ones perched in trees that are the scariest.

Living in the mts. We get a lot of C130's and those huge helicopters they train here. And I'm telling ya they are right over the tree line, scares me but really gets the flock worked up. It sounds like an invasion.

 

[DiYMama540]

Aren't they funny with the things they pick out of the sky!? Could care less about other birds, but giant or noisy aircraft, no way!!

 

[DuckyDonna]

I'm just trying to get over the hunters shooting your ducks!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

This!! Do not get me started....
The Air Force/Army idk which, does flight training about once a week and whatever their course is...comes over our house. Anything from faster than the speed of light jets...to big comanche choppers...

Chickens run and hide like their lives depend on it...ducks freeze and stare at the sky...Geese run through the yard like maniacs flapping and honking...never fails!

The National Guard is stationed at the airport in Charleston (guess they're the reason why we still have that airport) and they are flying their ginormous, humming C130 transport planes over our location. At first the Duckies were scared to death about those huge vultures, but they have quickly learned those won't eat them, so they just ignore em.
The Canadair jets from United are another thing, however! Evil birds! Always trying to snatch an unsuspecting duck! QUACK and run for your lives!!!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Bandit is always more aware of his surroundings than the Ducks. The exception is when I am with them . It’s like he is off duty. Yesterday he did not pay attention to a single engine airplane flying low.

Same here, when i am outside the drakes are foraging like the ducks. They know that when i am there no raccoon will dare…

 

[Texag87]

The National Guard is stationed at the airport in Charleston (guess they're the reason why we still have that airport) and they are flying their ginormous, humming C130 transport planes over our location. At first the Duckies were scared to death about those huge vultures, but they have quickly learned those won't eat them, so they just ignore em.
The Canadair jets from United are another thing, however! Evil birds! Always trying to snatch an unsuspecting duck! QUACK and run for your lives!!!

I feel sorry for the humans packed into those Canadair jets. The old prop planes that preceded the RJ were more comfortable.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Most of us have seen this if we have Runners but It's hilarious how straight stalk straight these Runner Drakes stand when on attention They must know just how to do it with out falling back wards.

 

[Jac Jac]

Hello all,
We have had our ducks for 3 years, raising all from chicks. We have had the sad fortune of having 3 shot during hunting season by hunters who boated up to our ducks on the lake and shot them. After that, we pen them up in the back yard during hunting season. This year, after confining them to the pen, we lost two to what turned out to be an opossum. I was able to catch it inside the pen and dispatched it! Now the remaining 4 ducks stay in the pen, which I moved to a location right under the kitchen window. We have noticed that most of the time, 3 of the ducks will sleep on the surface of the pool we have for them, and the other, usually a hen, will stand outside the pen the whole night. Is it possible that this behavior is a sort of standing guard? I welcome input on this as I haven't been able to find anything on the web about this.
Thanks.

My drakes usually stand guard, but the hens are also known to take a turn. Hope this helps.