January 15: Ducks are at their most beautiful while lying down in winter. It’s a favorite pose because they have an insulating layer of fat on their chests and bellies and they can pull their feet and legs into their feathers to keep them warm. They create their own down-filled parkas by fluffing out their feathers a bit to trap insulating air. Their compact, rounded shape is effective against the cold and brings out the beautiful patterns of their markings and texture of their feathers. Their compact beauty is accentuated set against a pristine background of pebbled ice that’s reflecting a clear blue sky. The texture of the ice was created when cold raindrops instantly froze to the pond surface the day before this image was captured.
As flocking animals, don’t you find it surprising ducks don’t cuddle to preserve body heat? Ducklings do it all of the time, but once ducks grown up, they aren’t fond of touching each other. Even courtship rituals are done at a slight distance.
These ducks on the ice made me think of Curling in the Olympics. You could just send them across the ice getting out there with your broom to sweep away the ice in front of them to make a goal! (I know, I know)
Funny idea, Barb. Those curling stones weigh 38-44 pounds each. That’s about 10 times the weight of a typical wild Mallard. The ducks wouldn’t slide very far due to their lack of inertia. Still, it’d be fun to push them around the ice like that. Too bad they wouldn’t tolerate it. It would make the dead of winter more fun at the millpond. Little kids like to be slid around on sleds and saucers. You’d think ducks would find it fun, too!
I love the photo and appreciate the info, Doug. We have watched the mallards who use our little pond each spring carrying out their courtship rituals and mating (last year they did the deed on Valentine’s Day, which I found quite amusing). We have certainly noticed how brief the whole thing is – so it’s very interesting to hear about their aversion to touching each other!
Thanks so much for visiting, Laurie. How I wish I had the variety of wild ducks you have in your “backyard,” the Pacific Ocean! I’ve added your “Eye on Environment” blog to my list of “Blogs I Enjoy” so my other readers can learn more about the wildlife in British Columbia. While I’m glad I don’t see bears along my millpond trail, I sure think it would be great to see them from the safety of a kayak as you’ve done.
Regarding courtship of Mallards: It’s not always brief. Almost a third of all Mallard matings are forced and often include every drake in the vicinity. I’ve seen as many as eight gang up on one hen. When this happens, the female may be powerless to their advances for several minutes. Here are two previous posts that detail events:
Mallard Mayhem:
http://www.words4it.com/?p=4943
Competition for mates intensifies:
http://www.words4it.com/?p=8462