Animals
- Meanwhile, At The Duck Pond...
Part of my every day chores is a stop at the duck pond to feed the ducks and fish. We have kept a stable population for several months now...5 tame ducks and 4 wild mallards that now call our pond home.At one point we were up to 36 ducks,but the local...
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A whole year has passed since we bought our last batch of ducklings.We added a mixture (17) of Cayugas, Swedish, and Pekins to the pond;home, then, to the solitary Methuselah (Khaki Campbell drake.) Every day since the new ducks came,we go to the pond,...
- Duck, Duck, Dog
Yesterday afternoon, after chores,the dogs and I headed down to the pond to check on the ducks. They are really enjoying their pond time each day.Every morning, Methuselah, our old Campbell duck, is waiting on the shore beside the duck hut....pacing...waiting...
- Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places
For the past several months, our duck "count" has remained at four. Methuselah still lives....frequently visited by a few pairs of mallards and a pair of wood ducks. We also had 3 surviving "ugly" Muscovy ducks. As of late, our female Muscovy has disappeared....
- New Ducks On Their Way!!
Our poor flock of Campbell ducks has slowly dwindled down to just one lone duck. We have named her Methusela because she has lived the longest. I worry that she is lonely. We feed her daily and she spends her days happily swimming on the pond...often...
Animals
Goodbye Methuselah
Yesterday morning when I stopped by the pond to feed the ducks,
I did my usual head count.
Twelve ducks were paddling around in their little circular pool of water...
kept from freezing by an aerator.
For seven or eight years, that head count has included one duck amongst many others.
That one duck who has been here since the beginning
was Methuselah.
Methuselah was the last of our first flock of khaki Campbell ducks.
They were the first flock of ducks that we raised when we started our farm.
Before I added the present ducks, Methuselah had lived alone on the pond for a year or two...
with several mallards that would join him for occasional visits.
A very smart duck...(top duck in above photo)
with a great instinct for avoiding predators,
he helped to raise our present flock of ducks from ducklings to full grown.
For years he has been the head of our flock...
a constant in the ever changing life of our pond.
Yesterday when I counted ducks there were still 12.
Only this time Methuselah was gone.
In his place was one lone mallard male.
But no Methuselah.
It's a mystery how he disappeared.
I fear a predator might have finally caught him.
Perhaps because he was old he was slower.
We'll never know.
We'll miss seeing this old fellow.
He was the only resident of the farm who has been here since the beginning.
So long ago...seen here with our first flock, right after our garden fence was erected...
This spring I hope to raise another group of ducklings.
We'll allow a female to nest on her eggs.
What fun...watching ducklings learn to swim!
Sadly, there will be no Methuselah to teach them the ways of the pond.
- Meanwhile, At The Duck Pond...
Part of my every day chores is a stop at the duck pond to feed the ducks and fish. We have kept a stable population for several months now...5 tame ducks and 4 wild mallards that now call our pond home.At one point we were up to 36 ducks,but the local...
-
A whole year has passed since we bought our last batch of ducklings.We added a mixture (17) of Cayugas, Swedish, and Pekins to the pond;home, then, to the solitary Methuselah (Khaki Campbell drake.) Every day since the new ducks came,we go to the pond,...
- Duck, Duck, Dog
Yesterday afternoon, after chores,the dogs and I headed down to the pond to check on the ducks. They are really enjoying their pond time each day.Every morning, Methuselah, our old Campbell duck, is waiting on the shore beside the duck hut....pacing...waiting...
- Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places
For the past several months, our duck "count" has remained at four. Methuselah still lives....frequently visited by a few pairs of mallards and a pair of wood ducks. We also had 3 surviving "ugly" Muscovy ducks. As of late, our female Muscovy has disappeared....
- New Ducks On Their Way!!
Our poor flock of Campbell ducks has slowly dwindled down to just one lone duck. We have named her Methusela because she has lived the longest. I worry that she is lonely. We feed her daily and she spends her days happily swimming on the pond...often...