Interesting ducks at our local lakes

[desertdarlene]

I thought I would start an thread about the interesting ducks at our lakes here in San Diego. There are two lakes that are very close to me: Chollas Lake and Lake Murray.

So, if I find an interesting duck or goose at this lake, I will post it in this thread instead of starting a whole bunch of new threads.

Some of you may have seen this photo of this black and white runner duck earlier. I think it is a female because she started quacking really loud the other day. She has two brown runner male companions, one of which are in this photo.

I found out that they love peas, unlike a lot of the wild ducks, but she doesn't love them enough to come up to me and eat them out of the bowl.

There's also a male black and white runner, but he doesn't have as much white as this one. He makes the standard low-pitched male duck call.

I wonder if she's laying eggs all around. Hopefully not as it would attract predators and I don't think she can fly away.

 

[Birdcrazy]

wow isn't she pretty

 

[duckyfromoz]

They are gorgeous..How lucky of you to have so many ducks living close by you.

 

[fisharescary]

They're so pretty!

 

[desertdarlene]

Thanks! Yes, we have hundreds of ducks and some geese, too. In this park, I can go any time I want to as they don't really close the access to the area except to cars. I will post more later. I expect some ducks to come through from the north in the next few months. We're starting to get winter arrivals of other birds now.

 

[desertdarlene]

This is Flycatcher, she was hatched near the end of June/beginning of July. I used to see her family near the parking lot area of the lake, but they went missing on the 4th of July. However, she (and her fuzzy behind) showed up a few weeks later all by herself and I am pretty sure it was the strange little duckling I saw earlier. It would make sense that she went off on her own first as she was very independent from the beginning.

Here she is as of yesterday. She had a hard time integrating into the flock of wild mallards and hybrids at first, probably because of her age, but she's starting to fit in pretty good now. I think some of her siblings showed up later.

Here she is as a duckling, trying to catch flies:

 

[suburbanduckmom]

Quote:
I love that last picture. Such ambition...it looks like she may be a bit of a trouble maker

 

[suburbanduckmom]

Quote:
I love that last picture. Such ambition...it looks like she may be a bit of a trouble maker

 

[desertdarlene]

She was so silly as a duckling! She kept chasing flies even when she was onshore. She was so intent on catching the flies that she bumped into rocks while doing so. Her little fat pad in front kept her from getting hurt. Everyone else in the family concentrated on eating duck food that was left out for them.

 

[Horsefly]

That picture is to cute, mind if I save it?