Club Med for Ducks

Ducks enjoying the pond in my backyard.

I'll begin by telling you that I currently live in a suburban subdivision that has retention ponds. The last several years, the ponds have been home to mallard ducks. This is partly because we are located close to the river and partly because I, along with other people who live nearby, have begun feeding the ducks on a regular basis.

The duckies (as I affectionately call them) started visiting in the summers when the birdfeeders went up in the backyards, about 5 years ago. The subdivision was built in the late 90s and early 00s and by 2006, the planted trees had matured beyond what I call the "stick tree" phase, so song birds naturally moved into the neighborhood. As they built their nests in the trees, bird lovers like myself put feeders out for them. So the little sparrows, finches, and chickadees would sit at the feeders, picking at their favorite seeds. Rejected seeds were thrown out to be eaten by the ground feeders like doves and bunnies, and of course, duckies.

I don't know who first told the duckies about the abundance of food, maybe it was the local red wings who live down by the river or the squirrel who likes to hang upside down from atop my bird feeder and nibble as the feeder rocks as the majority of seeds fall to the ground. Or it could be that the duckies simply flew over the ponds one day and decided to visit on their next trip. Whatever the case, they came and established residence. Now they are here year-round, except when it gets bitter cold in winter that the entire ponds freeze up.

The duckies are so well-fed and appear to be enjoying living here that my boyfriend, Chris, has nicknamed the place Club Med for Ducks. When the lighting is right, I photograph them. My picture above does have the quality of a photo advertising a vacation resort, doesn't it?