A female mallard made the decision to use our deck flower pot, which was hidden beneath an overhang, as her nursery during the spring of the previous year. When the female mallard is nesting, she lays more than half of her body weight in eggs, which makes the nesting process a demanding and exhausting time for her. Her clutch included eleven eggs, which had been incubated for a total of twenty-eight days before beginning to hatch some fifty-five days later. All of them, with the exception of two, were able to successfully develop into small yellow fuzzy hatchlings. The mother mallard’s patience throughout the nesting time was quite remarkable; she did not leave our cove until twilight in order to meet her partner, who was waiting for her there. They would swim out together every evening and most likely continue to eat until it was almost dark. Following that, she would flew back to her safe nest in a cautious manner. Each day, we delighted in seeing her from a close distance via our glass door, which was around eight feet away. Even though she would notice us, she seemed to be aware that there was no danger. I made the decision to check on mother mallard early one spring morning, around fifty days before I was scheduled to leave for work. As she always did, she was there, sitting atop her feathery nest as she often did. Once we had established eye contact, it was time for us to go. It was around midday when I returned for lunch that I looked in on her once again, and she was nowhere to be found. I was under the impression that she was nowhere to be found. I inconspicuously made my way closer to the nest. It came as a complete surprise to me when I found just two eggs and a few cracked shells scattered about. The others had hatched and had managed to escape from my second story deck in some peculiar way. My concern about the hatchlings dropping over into the gardens below has been a source of anxiety for me for some weeks. To our great relief, there were no indications of problem. Once I had finished preparing lunch, I made the decision to take advantage of the wonderful spring weather and eat my meal while sitting in a chair on the beach. When I was walking down the stone stairs to the beach, I observed that there was some splashing going on adjacent to the rock wall that we have around our lake. I was really taken aback when I saw a mother and father mallard, together with their newly formed brood, experiencing their very first swimming lesson. The time was excellent. The sight of their adorable children paddling about made them feel a great deal of pride. Before swimming around our pier and getting out to the open cove water, I was certain that they were displaying them for a few minutes before moving on to the next location. Because of a phenomenon known as filial imprinting, ducklings have a natural tendency to spend their time close to their mother. Not only does she give warmth and safety, but she also educates them about their environment, including tips on where and how to get food via foraging. After reaching the age of three or four months, when they have developed into flight-capable juveniles, they will learn and recall the usual migration routes that they have traveled. In the aftermath of this significant learning experience, the mother and her young may or may not remain together until the following mating season. The parents and ducklings of our flock have made our cove their new home with much joy. As a result of the provision of daily seed spills on the grass below by our hanging deck bird-feeders, the mallards enjoyed eating and dozing in the sun thereafter. This continued until the mother mallard declared that it was time to return to the lake. One little duckling seemed to be following closely behind at all times. While she walked, she walked with a limp since one of her legs was protruding to the side. I was curious as to whether it was because it had fallen off the high deck or because it had fallen out of the nesting pot. I lovingly referred to her as “loggy,” and we quickly became friends at that time. She spent a lot of time by herself. She allowed me to approach close to her on the dock when she was swimming nearby after she had been used to my hanging around by the house and on the beach. She enjoyed chatting and quacking as she swam about in the water. I’d be happy to join in. Although the other ducklings participated in activities such as swimming and eating seeds, they did not involve limpy. limpy was required to calmly wait to the side till they had completed their work. As she continued to cry out to her siblings, she would quack and quack, but they would ignore her. Seeing her being ignored by the other people was disheartening. There was very little time for mother mallard to wait around for limpy since she was also quite busy being responsible for keeping care of everyone. The mallard never quite reached the expected size of 20–26 inches in length and 1.5–3.5 pounds in weight. It was developmentally limpy. 14 months is the typical age at which mallards attain maturity, and their life expectancy is three years on average. The ripe old age of twenty has been known to be reached by some of them! During her first year, Licky did develop gorgeous chocolate brown feathers with a beak that was orange and black in color. From the beginning of summer until the arrival of the brisk winds of fall, limpy and her family stayed in and around our cove with great joy. As a result of the many springs that often supply open water, mallards spend the winter on our lake. Additionally referred to as Webster Lake, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg freezes for the most of the winter months. This year, the majority of the lake was frozen over, but there was a patch of fresh water that was easily accessible surrounding our tiny cove island. On a daily basis, ducks would converge on the ice to swim, eat, and mingle with one another both in and out of the water. A bald eagle was seen on the ice in the vicinity of the open water on a certain morning. It should not have come as a surprise since there is a couple of bald eagles who make a bigger island their home, and their nest had two young eaglets. On the other hand, when I learned from the Webster Lake Association that an eagle had been seen devouring a duck that had been wounded, my mind instantly went to the character of Little Lonely. My young mallard companion did not pay me a visit during the summer that followed, and his absence was felt. In order to survive, mallards of all ages have to battle with a diverse range of predators. Red foxes and the speedier birds of prey, such as hen harriers and short-eared owls, as well as the enormous bald and golden eagles, are the most abundant. this is the life cycle… Fortunately, the cycle starts again all over again every year. It is possible that our wooden barrel planters may replace the nursery in the future. We will see to it. Gregory James is a veteran of the United States Army, a father of six children, and a nature enthusiast who has been a longtime fan of the outdoors. Because of his affinity for the natural world, he has launched a website that sells supplies for camping cookery. The address of his website is http://www.campingcookwarepro.com where you may find it.
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