It is baby waterfowl season at the lake. The Canada Geese and Mallards are having babies. It is great to watch the little ones as they learn. They will move away from mom to go exploring only to suddenly realize how far they have gone. They return to the safety of mom as fast as their feet will take them.
One such Mallard family appeared on our beach the other night. Mom and four ducklings. One of which was rather unique – as you can see in the picture. He (she?) was black – quite different from his brothers and sisters. I thought maybe another species had laid eggs in this Mallard’s nest, but I found no indication of another species’ babies looking like this little guy. So…
I went to the expert. I emailed the Nebraska Nongame Bird Program Manager in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. He was kind enough to respond and told me this…
“it is just a melanistic duckling and I would not suspect nest parasitism by another species. The local Mallard population has some feral genes floating around and this could be the result of some of that genetic mixing.”
Can’t wait to see who comes by today. Enjoy your day!
I love the picture! I think the mother looks like a true mother of 4 little ones with her hair all messed up. Her most important mission is making sure her little ones are safe and taken care of. No time for herself to get all made up, and she is just fine with that.
Thanks for stopping by Melissa. My hair would be messed up too if I had to look after 4 little ones!
MY FAVORITE IS DUCKS AND I HAVE OWNED A FEW ,GIVE THEM A PUDDLE AND THEY WILL MAKE A MUDHOLE . I LIKE THE WAY THEY FOLLOW ONE ANOTHER IN SINGLE FILE . THESE ARE VERY NICE LOOKING AND I GUESS THAT EXPLAINS THE DARK ONE ,,, THANKS CHARLIE