Wild ducks beginner

[TheDuckPond]

Good morning,

I've recently moved to an estate that has a couple of ponds on and on the pond directly across from my house there is anywhere between 10-25 ducks (numbers change daily / weekly for whatever reason)

I've took a keen interest in these ducks and feed them 3 or 4 days a week. The main ducks are mallard and whichever the female version is.. theres a few moorhens and even a mandarin duck too!
Thank you

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. Make yourself at home and enjoy the forums.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Miss Lydia]

Welcome to BYC What a nice way to start your day looking out and seeing the beautiful waterfowl.
You might enjoy this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/ornamental-fowl-swans-etc.46/page-2

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[TheDuckPond]

Welcome to BYC What a nice way to start your day looking out and seeing the beautiful waterfowl.
You might enjoy this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/ornamental-fowl-swans-etc.46/page-2

Yes it's honestly great. I don't even mind them keeping me up by quacking through the night!

Just using my once a say exercise to go out and look for them around the estate. Theres loads of woodland around us too so I'm just wondering where they might go to during the day!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well they probably fly to different ponds for foraging. That's the nice part of being a wild duck etc. They can fly and get away from predators and also move around to forage. Where our domestics are pretty much stuck on the ground and depend on us to care for them.

 

[TheDuckPond]

Yes that makes sense, looks like I'll have to try and locate some more ponds. They're quite often just sleeping in our front gardens despite there being cats on the estate

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like they feel at home. Hopefully the cats don't stalk the adults but they probably would the ducklings. You probably will have ducklings too once nest making begins.

 

[TheDuckPond]

Well that was the original reason I joined this site to try and get that answered. I've posted a topic somewhere.

They're usually born around spring arent they? So they should be due any time hopefully. I'm also presuming that's why our numbers have gone from around 25 ducks down to around 10 because the females are away nesting somewhere

 

[Miss Lydia]

I bet your right. Be sure to share pics of all the beauty your seeing. We have a mountain river down below us that attract wild ducks but they only pass through they don't stay around. We do have a pair of Canada geese that use a small island to brood and hatch their goslings every year. Nothing sweeter