Thanks to Paul for this picture of some of our new duck friends. It’s duckling central in the backyard right now.
(A fact Choppy has enjoyed, if her chasing after them is any indication – thankfully, she stops chasing them once they get in the water, so no ducklings have been harmed.)
Travels with Choppy 
We saw an interesting sight on the lake this morning: a gosling has imprinted with a female mallard and together with her sole duckling, the three swam off.
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That’s a large adoption! 😁… good thing the Gosling can forage on it’s own.
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The gosling is three times the size of the duckling and about a quarter of the size of the duck, so it’s still quite young. The duck certainly didn’t seem to mind though.
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A “Gold Star” Mom!
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It could be only one of her eggs hatched, or she lost some babies. The geese didn’t seem to be missing any of their young from what we’ve seen so far, so maybe it was a late hatcher that the adult geese didn’t notice.
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Snapping turtles eat waterfowl for breakfast, lunch or dinner…or snacks….we’ve seen that happen in a small pond near us…sad…but all part of life..
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We had casualties on the marina to herons, crows, seagulls, and a 30lb pike. The duckling numbers diminished to such an extent it was lucky if one survived per clutch. The predators even took the swan cygnets when they first hatched and again it was lucky if two or three survived from a clutch of 7 or 8. On the river, it was totally different and they stood a better chance of survival, but in the marina basin where we were, they were literally ‘sitting ducks’. All part of Nature though.
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Oh wow! I’ve never seen anything like that. The gosling is quickly going to grow larger than her “mom.”
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We shall be keeping an eye on developments here, but for now this unique family are quite happy.
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The benefits of pond life
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I do enjoy having them around – though I did just have to stop Choppy from chasing after one back there. She didn’t seem too disappointed to give up the chase for a treat.
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That’s cool!! Your house attracts wildlife 🤩 I am sure Choppy will be happy to share the backyard with them eventually…
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She is pretty good – it’s just sometimes, the temptation to watch everything go flying and swimming off gets the best of her.
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They are very cute and I’m glad they make their get-away into the water. 🙂
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I would not have been happy with Choppy if they hadn’t!
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They must be adorable! I love ducklings.
I’m glad Choppy limits her territory to just the lawn. The chase likely sharpens their survival instincts. 😉
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I love them, too!
Choppy mostly leaves them alone – I think the temptation sometimes overwhelms her, though. It keeps the ducks on their toes, never knowing if this is one of the times the dog on the porch leaves to come after them.
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Ducks are good eating
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I agree!
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It’s nice that you have the pond with all of that wildlife right off of your back deck. Must be a nice place to spend time.
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It really is – we have an endless amount of wildlife to watch back there.
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Your story adds a whole new meaning “duck, duck, goose…”
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Choppy is going to get an unpleasant surprise if she chases a goose – she hasn’t done it since she was a puppy (she learned her lesson, maybe). She’s probably happier chasing things at your house, where she has a (very slim) chance of catching something.
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Mallard pairs are quite the attraction for dogs. We’ve been encountering a mating pair at the grade school we walk past every day. Both dogs were entranced.
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We have a pair in our front yard (mostly) – they are definitely looking for somewhere to nest. Choppy left them alone. I have no idea how she decides which ones are chaseable, and which are not.
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you!
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Ducks and geese swim and lounge side by side in our area, even as doggies are walked by. Since it’s a daily ritual, everyone seems to know their roles by now and separation is maintained between all four-legged friends and their waterfowl counterparts. However the occasional squirrel does get the dogs riled up…especially when said squirrels panic and run at the dogs…as opposed to running away from them. Silly squirrels.
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Choppy learned long ago to leave the geese alone – they might fight back! The ducks she usually leaves alone, but sometimes the temptation to see them fly off gets the best of her.
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Just in time for the Disney Duck birthday
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I didn’t even realize that!
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