Ducks in Hail

Dances with Ducks

Songster
11 Years
Sep 28, 2008
1,668
37
161
Central Northern Front Range, Colorado ;)
Something weird I wanted to show people. A hailstorm just hit us, I was out with the ducks and watched. Momma duck called her ducklings into the house, but one stayed out. I heard him peeping so I ran over and he was sitting still with his bill straight up pointed at the sky. I grabbed him and took him inside, worried he may have been hit and have some neurological injury to cause him to sit in that weird posture. But he acted normal once I got him in. I looked out the window and one of my hens was doing the same thing. I took a picture if you can tell what it is. This is a white duck with a black bill behind a white slatted fence. Her bill is pointing straight up and you see her throat. I'm guessing this is a protective instinct to maybe ward off some of the hail with their hard bill? Has anyone seen this before and/or know more about it?
16390_100_2342.jpg
 
All six of mine did that recently in a hail storm too. It looked to me like they were trying to catch the hail and EAT it. Who knows!!??
 
My ducks love hail and try to catch it as fast as it comes down. But out here on the west coast we rarely get anything bigger than small pea sized hail. They probably wouldn't be as happy with it if it was the big stuff you guys in the midwest and east get.
 

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