Odd Wild Mallard Behavior

[DuckDuckJuice]

Last spring, we had visitors. Two male and one female mallard. They would come by our house every night, as the sun was starting to set, peek at our ducks through the fence, and then meander through all the neighbors’ yards before eventually flying home. Their home is a large pond in a public park, about a mile up the road from us. The pond has hundreds of ducks and is virtually predator-free, due to the constant human traffic through it and great tree cover from overhead predators. There is ample food for them and no obvious reason to leave.

So, why did they choose to fly down the road and visit our street every evening for two months? I can see them being curious about our ducks initially, but they never attempted to make contact or even call out to them- just observed for a minute or two before losing interest.

It’s even stranger to me that it was two males and a female traveling together. There was no mating behavior observed, nor any noticeable preference on the female’s part for a particular male. They really seemed like they were all buddies, traveling the world (small section of neighborhood) together. This doesn’t seem like typical mallard behavior to me, but I may be wrong.

All of this leads me to the weirdest part of it all- tonight, after 10 months away, they came back. All three of them stopped by for a visit and immediately went to the spot we left treats for them in last year, leading me to believe it is the same group. No other ducks would have any reason to believe there would be food there.

So, my questions are as follows:
1. Is it normal for a female to travel with two males like this?
2. Why have they stuck together beyond one mating season?
3. Why have they come back to our neighborhood again, same time as last year, almost to the day?

Also, before anyone says it, the “treats” we left were in no way enough to encourage them to keep coming back. We’d cut up a couple of cherry tomatoes or drop a handful of sunflower seeds. The park they come from has literal piles of seed and feed that people dump out for them, as well as a fully stocked pond, so our measly offering would not be worth the trip. I included a few pictures of them, just for fun. Everyone, meet Roald, Glen, and Bonnie McMallard.

 

[EliteTempleton]

Neat, I have no idea but the same sandhill cranes come to my house every year and hang out all summer. 6 years ago there were only two, they had young and now there seems to be 6 but in groups of two usually. One group, probably the parents hang around in the field next to our house, two more half a mile down the road by the marsh and two more in the back 200 of my neighbors farm. I believe they hang around our neck of the woods because we all (+neighbors) give them space, no treats but the environment is nice for them around here. I'm curious about what others have to say about your ducks.

 

[ruthhope]

Last spring, we had visitors. Two male and one female mallard. They would come by our house every night, as the sun was starting to set, peek at our ducks through the fence, and then meander through all the neighbors’ yards before eventually flying home. Their home is a large pond in a public park, about a mile up the road from us. The pond has hundreds of ducks and is virtually predator-free, due to the constant human traffic through it and great tree cover from overhead predators. There is ample food for them and no obvious reason to leave.

So, why did they choose to fly down the road and visit our street every evening for two months? I can see them being curious about our ducks initially, but they never attempted to make contact or even call out to them- just observed for a minute or two before losing interest.

It’s even stranger to me that it was two males and a female traveling together. There was no mating behavior observed, nor any noticeable preference on the female’s part for a particular male. They really seemed like they were all buddies, traveling the world (small section of neighborhood) together. This doesn’t seem like typical mallard behavior to me, but I may be wrong.

All of this leads me to the weirdest part of it all- tonight, after 10 months away, they came back. All three of them stopped by for a visit and immediately went to the spot we left treats for them in last year, leading me to believe it is the same group. No other ducks would have any reason to believe there would be food there.

So, my questions are as follows:
1. Is it normal for a female to travel with two males like this?
2. Why have they stuck together beyond one mating season?
3. Why have they come back to our neighborhood again, same time as last year, almost to the day?

Also, before anyone says it, the “treats” we left were in no way enough to encourage them to keep coming back. We’d cut up a couple of cherry tomatoes or drop a handful of sunflower seeds. The park they come from has literal piles of seed and feed that people dump out for them, as well as a fully stocked pond, so our measly offering would not be worth the trip. I included a few pictures of them, just for fun. Everyone, meet Roald, Glen, and Bonnie McMallard.

These three were paddling in a rain puddle by my son's house recently. I half expected them to turn up in his back yard to visit his 3 ducks -- and the feral rooster that has moved in. They did not.

The mallards were coming back because you left food for them. They don't all stay put on a pond all day, some go off looking for food and return in the evening. I know of mallards that call in on a retention pond near me morning and evening on their way out from and back to their roosting pond

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

Neat, I have no idea but the same sandhill cranes come to my house every year and hang out all summer. 6 years ago there were only two, they had young and now there seems to be 6 but in groups of two usually. One group, probably the parents hang around in the field next to our house, two more half a mile down the road by the marsh and two more in the back 200 of my neighbors farm. I believe they hang around our neck of the woods because we all (+neighbors) give them space, no treats but the environment is nice for them around here. I'm curious about what others have to say about your ducks.

That’s amazing! The only wildlife we get around here are squirrels and small birds. That’s why we’re so happy our duck visitors came back. There are a few cranes at the local pond, but we rarely see them.

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

These three were paddling in a rain puddle by my son's house recently. I half expected them to turn up in his back yard to visit his 3 ducks -- and the feral rooster that has moved in. They did not.

The mallards were coming back because you left food for them. They don't all stay put on a pond all day, some go off looking for food and return in the evening. I know of mallards that call in on a retention pond near me morning and evening on their way out from and back to their roosting pond

Oh, how cute! We’ve had tons of rain lately and our ducks have had a blast splashing around in the puddles. They get as muddy as possible, then rinse off in their pond, which has been making our pump and filters work overtime.

It shouldn’t be, but I find it so strange that the wild ducks won’t interact with the domestic ones. I wonder if we left the gate open to the backyard, if they would go in closer. They could easily fly over the chain link fence, but maybe they don’t want to put in the effort.

 

[KaleIAm]

Oh, how cute! We’ve had tons of rain lately and our ducks have had a blast splashing around in the puddles. They get as muddy as possible, then rinse off in their pond, which has been making our pump and filters work overtime.

It shouldn’t be, but I find it so strange that the wild ducks won’t interact with the domestic ones. I wonder if we left the gate open to the backyard, if they would go in closer. They could easily fly over the chain link fence, but maybe they don’t want to put in the effort.

I can't answer your initial questions, but I know a little about domestic and wild ducks socializing. I adopted 3 female ducks who were abandoned on a pond with wild mallards. The mallards absolutely interacted with them, the male mallards mated my ducks until they were injured. Later I adopted a domestic duck who had been living on a house boat, and she usually snubbed and pecked at the wild mallards - but they wanted to be friends with her. After her flockmate died she was interested in socializing with the wild ducks - but that's when her original family gave her to me.

Also, I thought I would mention that you might want to be careful to keep your ducks separate from the wild ducks. With avian flu being so contagious, and deadly wild duck interactions are extra risky. My own ducks got internal and external parasites from their interactions with wild ducks.

They are really cute, though!! It's adorable that they visited your yard again.

 

[EliteTempleton]

Also, I thought I would mention that you might want to be careful to keep your ducks separate from the wild ducks. With avian flu being so contagious, and deadly wild duck interactions are extra risky. My own ducks got internal and external parasites from their interactions with wild ducks.

I almost mentioned the bird flu thing too but from what I understand it doesn't have an impact on waterfowl? They're just carrier's. So as I understand it from reading the CDC or whatever .gov website. Still, true, why let them carry it.
Good point about the parasites.

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

I can't answer your initial questions, but I know a little about domestic and wild ducks socializing. I adopted 3 female ducks who were abandoned on a pond with wild mallards. The mallards absolutely interacted with them, the male mallards mated my ducks until they were injured. Later I adopted a domestic duck who had been living on a house boat, and she usually snubbed and pecked at the wild mallards - but they wanted to be friends with her. After her flockmate died she was interested in socializing with the wild ducks - but that's when her original family gave her to me.

Also, I thought I would mention that you might want to be careful to keep your ducks separate from the wild ducks. With avian flu being so contagious, and deadly wild duck interactions are extra risky. My own ducks got internal and external parasites from their interactions with wild ducks.

They are really cute, though!! It's adorable that they visited your yard again.

Oh, yeah. Good point about the flu. Ducks are typically just carriers, but I read recently that it was discovered in a flock of domestic ducks and, even though the ducks weren’t exhibiting symptoms, they euthanized the entire flock anyway out of concern it would spread. I definitely don’t want to put our girls at risk.

 

[Fluffy Hens]

Last year we had a mallard drake stop by 4 days in a row. He would fly in and hang out for an hour or so, have a bite to eat and a drink and fly off. I wonder if he was someones pet. He had no fear at all and if I was out doing chores he could have cared less. The wild mallards and wood ducks that come to our pond are terrified of humans. If they get sight of you they take off in an instant. When the visiting mallard drake flew off, my ducks were like WHOA!!! Did you see that?? And they got all silly and ran around like crazy.

 

[KaleIAm]

I almost mentioned the bird flu thing too but from what I understand it doesn't have an impact on waterfowl? They're just carrier's. So as I understand it from reading the CDC or whatever .gov website. Still, true, why let them carry it.
Good point about the parasites.

My state hosted a webinar about avian influenza and backyard flocks last spring, and I asked about how it affected ducks. The avian veterinarians told me that ducks could contract it, have symptoms, and die. Additionally if they test positive they will be euthanized just like chickens. At one point when my ducks were unwell my avian vet told me I could consider testing them for avian flu, but that if they tested positive she would be required to report the results to the state and that my ducks would be confiscated, euthanized, and incinerated. So... personally I am not willing to risk it.