Many birds migrate through our area and many land in my backyard for a respite from whence they came. Who knows how long they have been flying on their annual trek? Some spend a few days, some make it their summer home and some spend a couple of weeks deciding if they want to stay or find a better place to set up housekeeping.
George and Mabel are a pair of mallards who have been visiting about this time of year for about five years. They come every morning and evening for perhaps a week or two and then fly off to a river or lake to raise their family. I feel certain they are the same ducks as they have the same habits and there are only two. No other ducks have ever visited my feeding area. George always stands guard while Mabel is gorging on primo bird food. He seems to be the dutiful mate who takes care of everything.Knowing they were about to arrive, I put out an extra water tin because Mabel loves to sit in the tin. She preens her feathers, drinks a bit and splashes water around. This happens no matter how many other birds and squirrels are around who also might want a drink or take a bath. (Yes, many varieties including a few hawks love to bathe in that water tin). Mabel sort of blends in and it’s not a clear photo with that rock behind her head. She is in the right center of the picture while George is waiting for her. I’ve never seen him in the water or even get a drink. I believe she wears the pants in the family…so to speak.This year, there happens to be a larger container of water about 20 feet from where Mabel normally takes her bath. The first evening they were here, she took her normal dip and then hopped down to the grass there she walked around a bit. She spotted that container and waddled right over to it. I could just see the wheels turning. “I’ve hit the jackpot!” She took a slurp of water and hopped right in. She paddled around a bit and then hopped out to go back to complete her feast. The next evening, Mabel repeated her ablutions in the small water tin and then walked over to to repeat her actions in the large water container. Maybe she’s a creature of habit or she forgot it was there or wanted to pamper herself every way she could. Or it could be that she’s a duck and that’s what they do. In case you’re wondering, the white things in the water are petals from my pear tree. There are so many that sometimes it looks like snow as they blow up against the lawn or other irregular surfaces.
It is definitely a treat to anticipate George and Mabel’s arrival and watch their habits as they spend their time in my backyard. I imagine that the yellow-headed blackbirds, tri-colored blackbirds and starlings will arrive soon to perhaps join George and Mabel. Their arrival signals an increase of about 40 pounds (or more) of food a week as they eat voraciously. Combine them with the ground squirrels, chipmunks, other squirrel types, quail and other bird varieties and you can watch quite a zoo with many varied antics. I love this place!
buzzardnotes 