Mandarins and Woodies (new pics)

[DuckyBoys]

I just got 3 new woodies to replace the one male I lost this spring (to the dogs) and thought I'd grab some pictures. They are much less tame than my mandarins so the pics aren't that great, plus they are not fully feathered yet.

But the mandies are and they look fabulous!

Not only that, they have calmed down a lot in the past year.

Anyway - enjoy the pics. I wish I had a better zoom so you could see the wood ducks, but oh well. The aviary looks nice in this late day light too, and I had to slip in the gratituous donkey picture - they will have those brillo pad coats soon enough so gotta take advantage of their summer beauty while they still have it!

 

[Goat_Walker]

Pretty birds!I wish i had a donkey . My mom loves them

Guess for now Ill have to stick with the neighbors.

 

[Lolita]

Such cuties all of them

thank you for the pictures!

 

[Hoosiermomma]

Great pics!!!! Tell me about Mandarins....we were thinking of getting a pair in the spring. Are they fairly tame/personable? Do you have to worry about them flying off? I think they are absoltutely gorgeous looking.

 

[chickensioux]

Quote:
I am getting a Mandarin pair next month. From what I have researched, they are pretty skittish and have to be worked with quite a bit to tame them down but it is possible. They will fly away and should have their wings clipped or pinioned to be able to keep them around. Or keep them in an enclosure with mesh on the top. I can't wait!!!

 

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
I am getting a Mandarin pair next month. From what I have researched, they are pretty skittish and have to be worked with quite a bit to tame them down but it is possible. They will fly away and should have their wings clipped or pinioned to be able to keep them around. Or keep them in an enclosure with mesh on the top. I can't wait!!!

Absolutely right. I could never, for example, handle them. But they aren't freaked out by me being in the pen unless they see the net! They keep their distance, but will hang out withing a few feet of me as I work. The new woodies want nothing to do with me and stay in the farthest corner while I am near by, but my female woodie that I've had for about a year now is more tame, so they have the same potential.

Mine are all fully flighted because I have a net over the enclosure. I like to see them fly and they know the boundaries of the fence and don't smack themselves into it. Half of them came clipped last year and half of them were not, but now they all have flight feathers and they are loving it!

I could watch them all day and I love the little sounds they make - the male call and squeaky rubber ducky sounding females!

I have missed the male woodie call, but now that I have two new guys I love hearing it again. The females do come running to them when they call too!

All in all, I think I get more pleasure from the wild ducks than any other birds I have.

 

[cristy17]

Beautiful birds and donkey!!

 

[Bleenie]

We were killing time before an appointment yesterday so we stopped at a park with a duck pond to feed them for a bit. we used to go there as kids.

a few mintes after we started feeding, I saw the most adorable little wood duck hen...i just wanted to scoop her up, she was just a DOLL.

we also saw a funny little black duck, with an odd-shaped beak, couldnt think of what she was though.

they also had a chinese & embden swimming together...that chinese was Obviously someones old pet. nosey, nosey, pinchy, lol.

 

[maplesky7]

Sweet duckies you have there and cute donkey too.

 

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
Oh you have excellent observation skills! Even though I have them, I don't know that I would ever be able to identify one in a group! LOL... I would make a terrible birdwatcher. It takes me a few minutes to pick them out from the female mandarins in the pen and I have to look at the eyes in order to tell.