Ducks At A Distance

Tag Archives: Flock

Mixed flock AHM 4-1-10 1

A few nice waterfowl identification images I found:

Mixed flight AHM 4-1-10 1
waterfowl identification

Image by THE Holy Hand Grenade!
A mixed flight of shorebirds and waterfowl at Arrowhead Marshland, MLK Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA. Taken by a Nikon D40x at ISO 400 with a Sigma 70-300 DG non-APO macro lens. (at 300)

Visible: Superior Scaup Aythya marila, Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos., and possibly a Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis. (see clarification: I only ID’d the first bird of the species I saw…) There doubtless are one or more other species present, but I’m missing them due to the hard lighting (backlit by the rising sun…) and/or the birds position (there are many "sterns" in view that are all that you can see of that bird!)

One viewer has a note that some of the smaller birds are "Small-billed Dowitchers": Dowitchers Limnodromus sp? they may be, but in these lighting conditions, I have severe doubts that anyone could separate a Long- from a Small-billed in the field, (the bill lengths really overlap…) or from this photo. The only reliable field identification of Dowitchers is by hearing them call – and these weren’t calling.

Egyptian goose
waterfowl identification

Image by doozzle
Identification thanks to Mr. Moor

Barrow’s Goldeneye
waterfowl identification

Image by ????????
There was another man taking pictures of this beauty. We spoke briefly. He told me what this was, but I didn’t catch what he said and subdue had to pore through my Bird Guide to make an identification.

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Why is the flock of ducks at the farm I work at dying out?

We pulled out 26 dead ducks from one of our ponds today, as well as 3 more in the river. Why is our flight of wild ducks suddenly dying out??

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Identifying a Gadwall v Female Mallard


I place this video together because I used to find it hard to identify a gadwall amongst a flight of female mallards. Both the male and female gadwall have a white patch at the base of the hind wing. The female mallard has a blue patch in the same place. This is the simplest way to tell them apart particularly at a distance. Video was taken at Slimbridge WWT in March 2008. Edited in IMovie HD 6.0.4. Filmed on handheld Canon MV880X.

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Raising Geese As Watchdogs And For Food ? Some Pointers

White Geese are not naturally found in Africa.  It was most probable that they had originated years before, from the Embden goose. These geese were likely to have been brought with them by immigrants from Holland and Germany, the natural habitat of the Embden. 

 

The flight grazed in the orchard. The geese had no knobs on their bills and their height was no superior than the usual size for this breed.  They were fiercely protective of their territory – chasing, hissing, cackling and menacing everyone and anything that came too close.  They were the aggressors, anyone or anything that came into the periphery of their vision were liable to be attacked.  The dogs ignored them.  Adults, if they held their nerve, could catch them by their necks and intimidate them into backing off. There was only one die-hard gander who refused to be shaken by any form of backlash.  One couldn’t help admiring its spirit. Nevertheless, as a flight they were really annoying.  Children didn’t have much chance in avoiding their attacks and would end up life chased.

 

You could tell how ancient the mothers were by the ‘pouch’ which formed under their bellies.  The decrease it hung, the grown-up they were.  They make for tasty eating though their flesh tended to be very fatty which would clarify why a way of preserving the meat before refrigeration was to cook it in its own stout.  The cooled stout solidified and surrounded the meat and in this way it was able to be preserved.  The end product is called  ‘confit’ and is quite often regarded today as a delicacy.

 

Around 2500 BC it was found that their livers could be made to greatly increase in size – up to 10 times of the original size.  This was done by force feeding them, called ‘gavage’ – a mode which today is (and may have been in the past) quite an emotive issue. Moistened food is pushed down a funnel leading into a long tube which is inserted into the bird’s oesophagus.  The Egyptians used figs as the food, though pellets are more commonly used today.  Perhaps mercifully, the goose does not have a ‘gag’ facility.  The downside of which would be that their throats would suffer much harm.  The end result produced ‘pate de foie gras’ – goose liver pate to the uninitiated.  Apparently the liver has a sweet, rich flavour.

 

The fact that the goose is a migratory bird means that built in to its metabolism is the ability to place on weight rapidly within a small period of time.  Just before they migrate they are able to convert their food to stout very promptly.  This allows them to sustain their long flights to the more genial surroundings of their natural chill habitat.  It is this built-in mechanism that is used to produce the pate.  The geese are prepared by first feeding them on grass and then confining them until everlastingly they are force fed up to 4 times a day.  The total process may not take much more than 12 weeks.

 

Their watchdog characteristics are often used for just this purpose.  A positively well known account exists of them life used in around 300 AD when the Romans had been routed by the Gauls and they took safe haven on Capitoline Hill, a place simple to defend because of its elevation.  The Gauls besieged the city without success.  Then one night, under the cover of darkness, they scaled the hill to the bottom of the city parapet.  Fortunately for the Romans but, they did not factor in the geese that had been placed in cages on the wall to alert the Romans of just such an occurrence.  The cackling of the geese roused the Romans who repulsed the Gauls and saved the city.

 

The geese in the orchard used to place on a excellent show when they stood up on tiptoe flapping their wings and rushing off in whatever direction took their fancy.  It was pleasant to watch. They were copious breeders and were obviously greatly contented in the orchard.  They were also very excellent parents, the goslings changing from grey to white as they grew up.  Few predators attacked them.  During the day they roamed free, and at night were penned up.  To keep the facts consistent, the adults were sold, live, to public income locally.

 

In North America, the Canada Goose and the American Buff Goose are both successful reared by breeders.  Species like the Superior White-fronted Goose (Specklebelly), the Emperor, Ross’s Goose and the Cackling Goose are not found in as fantastic facts as before.  Some are in the decline because of hunting.  They are best viewed today on trips especially calculated for this, or by leisure paddling on your own or with friends. 

 

For more information about canoes, kayaks, boats and North American Geese stay:

 

 

 

http://www.theboatingstore.co.cc

A retired high school teacher of geography and maths. Try ‘Quick

http://www.theboatingstore.co.cc

Compare 35 Brand Name Kayaks’ to help you make a choice. Also if you would like a free ebook – an unusual tale set in the days sailing by well-known and respect author Joseph Conrad, ‘The Secret Sharer’ or a book about travel in El Salvador ‘Slow Bus To Ahuachapan’ by John Drewman then email admin@theboatingstore.co.cc

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Muscovy Ducks Might Well Intrigue You

Did you know that the Muscovy Duck ‘hisses’ and does not ‘con’?  Extraordinary, that.  One naturally assumes that all ducks con.

 

My uncle and aunt kept a flight of Muscovies on their small farm in Southern Africa to provide themselves with ‘desk birds’ every so often.  They were kept in a pen but the door was often left open and so they ‘grazed’ in the yard around the household.  They gave the impression of life contented birds, breeding easily – hatching out a brood of eight or more ducklings every four months or so.  They genuinely seemed to have no complaints with their lifestyle – it suited them very well.

 

As an aside, this was not so of a flight of ostriches penned up for breeding purposes, which I once saw.  A more miserable, pathetic bunch of birds is hardly imaginable, every bone in their bodies indicating defeat by their enclosed space as they stood limply by the wooden fences staring longingly at the open land outside of their pen. Not a blade of grass existed inside, just bare, hard ground and stones.  Nothing to give them stimulus to delight in their surroundings.

 

Back to the muscovies, from a human point of view, the Muscovy droppings in the yard seemed endless, covering the ground and squelching under your feet as you walked crosswise it.  Treading carefully was not an option, and therein lies my reason for avoiding these ducks, even today.

 

Much research has gone into the origin of the name Muscovy. By the scenery of their name, Russia was the most likely place of origin (though they are, in fact, native to Mexico).  The most widely usual outcome of the research seems to be that the history of their name derives from their distinctive musky odour.  Their family tree has also been shuffled around until the consensus has been reached that they belong to the ‘Shelduck’ – genus Tadorna – a group of larger, often semi-global waterfowl. 

 

Muscovies naturally eat small coast animals like winkles and crab as well as grass.  They are also well known for life particularly partial to cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies. (It has been recorded that they eat thirty times more houseflies than square flytraps are able to deal with.)

 

Muscovies have raised controversy among those who have an interest in kosher food laws because they do not have a standard avian ‘crop’, though their other unique attributes are commonly usual;  i.e. they have an extra toe and a gizzard and their eggs are not round or greenish.  They also do not eat carrion, another pointer to life an acceptable kosher food fund.

 

They are found as domesticated duck around the world.  In North America, a small wild populace of muscovies reaches into the US in the decrease Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  There are also ‘domesticated, turned wild’ breeding populations of these ducks in nearly every disorder of the USA as well as in the Canadian provinces.

 

Why do I mention all this?

 

Well, it’s because if you delight in the outdoors and want to get as much out of it as possible, keep a lookout for them.  As their natural habitat is near water, any boating experience, especially along a shoreline, may give you the opportunity to see them.  They are huge ducks, weighing around 6 kg on average, are mainly black and white and the males have a pronounced wattle at the top of their bill.  This wattle puts them apart from other ducks.  Duck shooting may be a sport which is of particular interest to you.  If this is so, try the ‘quick compare list of 35 brand name kayaks’ to help you with your choice of hunting boat. 

 

There are of course a host of other species of bird life to look out for around the water’s edge.  Take benefit of a free list of North American ducks, geese and swans compiled from Wikipedia and www.jncc.gov.uk – published in 2007 of water birds around the world.  A few species are endangered which would make it all the more special if you should manage to spot one.  The list contains both the common and the Latin names for the birds and should you not have a bird book, Google images or a book from a public store is always an option for seeing what the birds look like. Take a sketch pad along with you to sketch them.  It may stir the artist within and provide new insights into the wonders of scenery. The list can be found at:

 

The author is a retired high school teacher of geography and maths.

http://www.theboatingstore.co.cc

Try ‘Quick Compare 35 Brand Name Kayaks’ to help you make a choice. Also if you would like a free ebook – an unusual tale set in the days of sailing by well-known and respect author Joseph Conrad, ‘The Secret Sharer’ or a book about travel in El Salvador ‘Slow Bus To Ahuachapan’ by John Drewman then email admin@theboatingstore.co.cc

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Breeding Ducks – Cheaper for Farmer To Produce Than To Buy

As it is cheaper for a farmer to produce his own ducklings than to buy them from the outside, he should do his own breeding. Only the best ducks and drakes must be kept for breeding. In this way only, the ducklings hatched on the scheme will be strong and healthy. Do not keep any birds that have deformed wings, with the tip of wings pointing outside. Otherwise, there will be more and more of them on the scheme. Do not keep any bird that is smaller than the rest of the flight. Huge parent birds produce huge ducklings.

The ducks kept for breeding will be the heaviest ones, of round appearance and with a belly that is close to the ground. The drake will be the heaviest one, with a belly analogous to the ground. Do not keep any drake that looks like it is standing with the
breast much privileged than the belly. Do not keep more than 10 ducks for breeding. Otherwise, it is probable that the garden produces will be in small supply to feed the flight and all the birds will do poorly. Keep two drakes for up to five ducks and three for up to ten ducks. Ducks can be kept for up to three years, but drakes should be
changed every second year as after that they do not mate regularly and fertility decreases.

Under village conditions, ducks will start to lay eggs at 8 1/2 – 9 months of age. The first eggs will be small and should not be used for hatching. Small eggs are likely to be sterile (they will not produce a duckling) and even if they hatch, the duckling will be small and weak and will doubtless die within the first week. An egg is huge enough for hatching when it weighs more than 72 g or if its diameter is more than 45 mm. The simplest way to check if an egg is suitable for breeding is to make a hole of exactly 45 mm in a cut of plywood or lumber. If the egg passes through the hole, it is too small and must be eaten or sold. If it does not pass through the hole, it must be kept for breeding. The poultry Research Centre at Labu has a few of these measuring holes.

A duck will lay between 10 and 20 eggs. After that it will become broody and sit. If the ducklings are taken away from the mother after hatching, it will start to lay again after two to four months, depending on feeding. There are no laying seasons for ducks in Papua New Guinea. They lay all through the year.

The journey to breeding ducks can also best be started while they are childish as you also may learn ducks also have their own personality. This means that you can also treat them as pets. If you want to learn more about raising ducks and avoid costly mistakes, please stay: http://www.howtoraiseducks.com

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Caring For Ducks From 6 weeks to 4 months

After six weeks, the ducks can be fed entirely on locally produced feed–sweet potatoes, taro, banana, pumpkin, choko, etc. Anything excellent for public is excellent for ducks. The food must be cooked. To know how much feed to give to the ducks, follow this simple rule: If the ducks eat everything within half an hour and nothing is left, they are subdue hungry. Cook more next time. If after half an hour, the ducks start to wander away from the feed, and some of it is subdue left, they have had enough.

Feeding ducks locally produced feed is not enough. Every day, they must be able to graze. It is only in grazing that ducks will get the protein necessary for their growth. These proteins will mainly be insects and grass seeds that are not found on bare ground or in small grass. Even a very huge fence will not give enough grazing land
because as soon as all the grass is finished, the ground will be laid bare and hard by grazing and trampling of the duck feet. There must be no fence around a duck household. A fenced-in scheme is a scheme that will fail. It is better to have a few ducks lost to dogs or other predators than to have the total flight dying due to protein deficiency. Protein deficiency will result in: (1) Poor growth–the duck will never be gray enough to eat, (2) no feathers–the duck will be cold, sick and will die, (3) no eggs–the duck will never lay eggs.

The best way to look after ducks after six weeks is to keep them overnight in the household and let the ducks out at about 8 o’clock in the morning. They will be hungry and active and look for insects and grass. Before sunset, feed the ducks. It will help if the owner always calls his ducks in the same manner (call, bell, etc.). They will come promptly by themselves and will not need to be rounded up. Lock the duck for the night. Place water in the household.

At four months, the ducks will have reached their largest weight. Under village conditions, it will be about 2.0 kg for the drakes and 1.2 kg for the ducks. They should then be eaten or sold as after that their meat will become quite tough. Do not keep a small duck in the hope that it will grow fatter. It is usually a waste of time and feed.

Learning on caring for ducks can also best be started while they are childish as you also may learn ducks also have their own personality. This means that you can also treat them as pets. If you want to learn more about raising ducks and avoid costly mistakes, please stay: http://www.howtoraiseducks.com

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Bird Identification Question?

I’m in North Georgia. Today I saw a flight of large birds migrating & don’t know what they were. I have seen Canadian Geese — these were different, gray or auburn. They had long, slender necks (similar to a crane) but I couldn’t see the legs trailing behind. They didn’t HONK like geese –made a quieter calling noise. (But I did hear them before seeing them.) There were 26 in sort of a V formation. Any bird watchers that can ID them for me? Thanks :)

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Duck Decoy Information

The word Decoy is said to be a derivative of a Dutch word – “ende-kooy,” which means ‘the Duck Cage’.   A few also suggest the transition of the word ‘Duck-Coy’ which as years passed came to be pronounced as Decoy. Coy- represents the word cage or net into which birds were spellbound.

Hence it seems pretty sure that duck decoys were used from the earliest of days. A decoy is a way of tricking ducks into ‘thinking’ that the area is safe and hence landing is a good thought. This ensures a good flight settling at the area or water body and a fantastic duck hunt.

Duck decoys come in all realistic colours, shapes and sizes.  Duck decoys always have to focus on the bird types and the respective colours and fine detailing of the external appearance of the bird etc. These decoys can be made at home or bought at stores that provide a variety of decoys. Duck decoys can have functional differences like just a floating decoy to battery powered or radio-controlled movables.  And to make it more realistic there are ones that can change head positions or bodily movements like floating, feeding on land and water, standing or sentry positions etc. These give the decoys a more realistic look and give the user a competitive edge over other hunters.

There are ones which are radio enabled allowing the hunter to get up-close audio on the birds and sometimes even sneak in on other hunter conversations. Video enabled ones also allow the privilege of watching these birds up close. The video camera attached to the decoy is placed among the birds. The decoy can go by diffident control and the videos can be simultaneously recorded. The video is transmitted to a small portable TV. This transmission can take place within a range of few miles allowing the hunter to get close with the birds without being in the marshland themselves.

A few books and websites also suggest the hunter in making their won decoys. The step-by-step instructions to carve a duck decoys are also given.  These websites also suggest the paints to be used and advice on maintenance of worn down duck decoys. Stray hit repairs and re – painting jobs are all clarified.

Types of Foam as urethane foams, burlapped foams, cork or polystyrene are used for the body construction. Wood, foam or plastic can be used for heads. Life good at observing ducks, carving and painting gives the hunter a better edge at making ducks. Alternatively, close up picture shots of the ducks in different angles also helps to examine the morphology of these birds before carving. These pictures can be obtained from any scenery shooting book, ornithologist or website. Getting creative at making the decoys is an option left to the maker. But being as realistic as possible is necessary as a decoy should blend well with surrounding environment. Making a Decoy will surely help to better appreciate the beauty of duck and also be a fantastic pass time during those off – season times.

Stay our website to shop for duck decoys, and antique duck decoys.

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