.........I have two male pekin ducks and one male hooded merganser. It's a regular boy's club around here. Some of you may have seen me talk about Dos, the male hooded merganser that has been on our lake for over a year now. He just kinda adopted us. There have been other male mergansers and several females that have come to visit the lake and then moved on, while Dos has stayed. I'm beginning to think that maybe he is hurt somehow and can't fly. I really would have expected him, being a wild bird, to have moved on by now. Especially when the other mergansers came to visit and then moved on. He does have it good here. There's no competition really on the lake since other wild ducks only stay a day or so and then move on and my boys (the pekins) are feed daily so I'm sure they don't take that many little fish. And there are PLENTY of little fish, frogs and insects for Dos to eat. I don't know if I should call the Georgia Wildlife Services or just let him be. I hate to think of him being injured, and he seems all well fed and perfectly happy to hang out with my boys. For all I know, there's NOTHING wrong with him and he's just decided he's got it good here so why not adopt us! But I have NEVER seen him fly. That's why my husband and I both think he may not be able to. What are ya'll's thoughts on this?? Here's a pic the boys (Ben and Jmatt) and Dos during the snow we had last week. And here's another of him and the boys:
Quote:He just swims around with the boys. Usually in the early morning he'll swim alone over to an area of the lake that's shallow and there are lots of little fish. There he will dive under, stay down for quite a while, and come up with his prize! I don't think I've ever seen him flap his wings.
Its possible he could be hiding an injury, but you would think after this long it would have healed up. If there is something wrong with him that prevents him from flying i doubt at this point there would be anything to do. But it i might just be the fact that he has it good, think about it, he gets to have as much fish as he wants and no sharing, dry food when the pekins get it and the occasional lady hooded merganser that fly's through He just doesn't want to give up such a good spot. I think it was last week that i had a female mallard show up in my flock and she has stayed, she gets locked up at night in the aviary and then free ranges with them for the day.
I would leave him be as long as he's capable of leaving on his own. We get some neat, friendly ducks around our lake that stay for a while and then leave when they're ready. We had the sweetest pintail at our lake, just a total doll, cute and friendly. He was there for a while, but I guess there just weren't enough pintail girls there, so he left. That might happen with Dos, eventually. Or, maybe not. He probably just likes it there for now.
I vote for leave him alone, hes happy and well fed otherwise he would of left by now. I think if he was injured you would of seen something by now. Maybe he was and now hes better and wants the good life with his buddies. Plus you would miss him if he wasnt there.
My first instinct would be to leave him alone even if he can't fly because from what I gather, he isn't having any real issues. Since he can dive, he has an anti-predator tactic. However, that being said, I don't know a THING about hooded merganser social and conspecific relationships, so it may be possible that if he is not able to fly away and join his kind that he is merely filling a void by hanging out with the pekins, and it is a mediocre arrangement to him, but he works it out. It also could be a normal behavior within a behavioral spectrum that isn't too uncommon. I might talk to a merganser expert and see what they think. Overall, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Well, is you call the DNR, they will have to observe him in triplicate, make cabinet appointments to discuss the issue,hire a department to oversee him and then tax your Pekins to pay for it!!!!! Is the Government going to make him "act wild" and deport him Time and let nature take it's course. Probably get fined if you try to help or handle him..... Maybe he likes 'government subsidies"....LOL (btw I lived in Dallas till recently for 22 years)....
Leave him! Your Pekins can't fly and they seem to do just fine...so why couldn't he? And plus, it would be heartbreaking to have him traumatized by the DNR people and then fly off and never be seen again, and you not knowing what happened to him, where he went, or if he is still even alive. Your Pekins may miss him too....and so would we! Good Luck Dos!
