THE DWARF DUCK CHRONICLES

 

    This is Dwarf Duck of Boiling Springs Lake. I first noticed him in early March of this year, thinking at first he was a juvenile, but then realizing that he was an adult who simply never grew to full mallard size. I like his "snub beak." Other than that, it's hard to tell he is a dwarf from this photo.

   
    This photo was taken on April 20th. I was at the lake on April 13th, but I didn't see Dwarf Duck and got worried I killed him with the bread I fed him two weeks earlier.
   

     Joy informed me that you shouldn't actually feed ducks bread, as it can make them sick or even be fatal, so I started feeding them peas or corn after that. The peas worked pretty well, but a lot of the peas just sank to the bottom of the lake.
     The next time I tried corn. My participant liked that; he had a whole bag of frozen corn and it lasted him for awhile. That was the day when it all went down, but more on that later... This is Dwarf Duck's time in the sun and I shan't take it from him.

     This is the full fleet of ducks in their glory. I can't see Dwarf Duck in this picture... in fact, I don't think he's in it. Anyone who finds him gets a prize.
     This is how many ducks you can get in a group if you feed them bread. Note: don't feed them bread. They do love it, but don't feed them bread. You may get the best duck crowd ever, but don't feed them bread.
     This is a good duck day in terms of numbers and attention. If you go on a sunny day, they may not be as hungry because they've already been fed by 20 people before you.

     Dwarf Duck appeared to be accepted by the group when I visited the lake in March. This photo shows him clearly morphed by a larger mallard pair, but still in proximity of the other ducks and seemingly in tandem.

     These next three pics were actually taken on March 16th, the second time I encountered DD. This is the time I fed them bread and made a lot of friends. I kept telling my participant to feed the ducks that were friendliest and not getting any other morsels but he kept ignoring me.

      I like how Dwarf Duck appears to be leading the pack here. Leading them where I have no guess; probably some sort of futile oblivion. But, they're ducks, they're not very smart, they appear to be following that wily pied piper. 

     This was DD in his heyday, no doubt, consorting amongst his peers and being a Duck among ducks.











     Here's Dwarf Duck commanding the front lines. Looking perhaps a little out of sorts, I suppose. The other male appears to be eyeballing him pretty good. Knowing the nature of ducks, size and brawn tends to rule the roost. DD will not edify and enlighten the other ducks with his intellect. No, he will in fact become a waddling and reclusive derelict in due time. Par for the course in Duckville, but DD is of the special sort.

     Commanding the front lines for one day was Dwarf Duck, but the true lines had yet to be drawn...for, we had yet to encounter...

THE DAY IT ALL WENT DOWN 

May 10, 2018

     It appeared to be a normal calm Thursday afternoon at the duck lake. They were a little bloated from earlier feeds, but they eventually took an interest in the corn. The first neat thing I encountered was this fleet of ten ducklings following mother out into the open water.
     I was watching the fish a lot, too. It looked like they had recently been stocked. It was fun to watch the ducklings take little dives, ostensibly at fish, or to jettison across the water to catch up to the group, as stray ducklings are sometimes wont to do. But, nothing too out of the ordinary occurred, until I started looking around a little bit more, and noticed who was there behind me, taking shelter under the rack of canoes, but...
     DWARF DUCK!

     I became sad soon after. Dwarf duck appeared to have been ostracized from the group and was now becoming a lazy recluse. Either that or he was feeling sick. He had very little energy that day and moved very little.

     I wondered in earnest if he had in fact become outcast and despondent. It was strange how Darwinism's sometimes cruel nature seemed to affect even ducks. He was a fine specimen, he just didn't fit in to the scheme of Duckville. He didn't stack up to the other males and may have been in a few altercations, perhaps even injured.




     Then, I began to feel some redemption when I noticed that DD was not the only duck taking shelter under the canoes. It appeared he had a friend after all, whom I called "Suzy Duck."

     I was glad to see Dwarf Duck and Suzy had formed an alliance, but unbeknownst to me (and apparently Dwarf Duck as well), Suzy was about to experience a sad chapter in her own story. In the meantime, other duck tales began to arrest my attention and it became a momentous day indeed at Boiling Springs Lake over the course of the next 30 minutes.

DUCK TALES, WOO-OO !

I wanted to study some of the other "normal" ducks to contrast Dwarf Duck's situation, so I took a few photos of this pristine group of three--two sterling males and their comely counterpart--appearing to be going for a good-natured stroll out on the green. 

 

However,this duck tale would soon turn sordid. The male with his head down in the top photo was sizing up his unwitting opponent, whom he would soon attack and provoke into a serious, feather-flying altercation and dispute for dominance.





It turned into more than a short squabble. These guys appeared really out to hurt one another and went at it for several minutes.

It was turning out to be quite an eventful day at the duck lake, and clearly some lines were being drawn.

The fight even continued into the water, where it went down for another few minutes.

Eventually it subsided, but at least one male ended up with a seriously bloodied head. On the up side, he did get the girl, though. 

But, perhaps his bravado just drove her away again. 

It's hard to say in Duckville. 

      I turned my attention back to Dwarf Duck and Suzy, shortly after the squabble subsided. These two unassuming fellows here, perched in front of the boats, appeared to be in a typical duck daze, and I assumed pals of Suzy's. She started walking away from Dwarf Duck towards them, and I thought: Oh, now even Suzy is ditching DD to be with her other friends. However, there was quite a surprise in store for me (and Suzy as well, we would think!). I have heard that the duck mating process is rather feisty, but had never encountered it in vivo before. Female duck netherparts are actually labyrinthine in shape, making it virtually impossible for any appendage to permeate the maze. The exceptional appendage happens to belong to none other than the duck male, and is approximately the shape of a corkscrew. Etymologists may note the possible origin of the term "cork" here, it should be noted. 

     And then the hurlyburly behind the fence began. It was funny to me how it was literally behind the picket fence. The ducks appear to be on lookout here, ready to stave off any potential detractors. Dwarf Duck remained on the left side of the fence and was not a witness to the proceedings. This duck-duck-goose convoy appeared to be oblivious to me watching them, also. Nothing was going to stand in the way of this party.

Suzy was being violated on many levels, but Dwarf Duck remained behind the fence, apparently oblivious. 

It was turning into a depressing series of events in Duckville. I began to ruminate cynically and curse  primal and cruel nature. It appeared all was lost. Seeming to confirm my dark conclusions, the next event I encountered saw a stray duckling call out her pathetic quack to her estranged flock. In her vulnerable state, she was even divebombed (no picture captured) by one of the opportunist adults. 

I began to wonder what her fate would be. Would she be beaten by one of the adults, sucked down by a stray muskellunge, left to frenetically fend for herself for the rest of her traumatic short ass lifespan?

She swam around in circles near shore some more, continuing to cry out pathetically, while the group continued to gain gradual distance out into the expanse of lake.

But alas, she made one great jettison across the water in the right direction, skittering with ostensibly all her might, and was recognized by the group and reunited once more!

There would be redemption by sundown and opportunities for more "duck tales" tomorrow. All was not lost indeed. So, if you ever feel the need to chronicle a duck tale of your own, cop a squat nearby the lake and watch nature in motion. Who knows, Dwarf Duck may even turn up again sometime!