As our feathered friends are now putting on aerobatic displays twice daily, they have made contact with other ducks out there, and it is teaching us a little bit about duck social behavior.
The ducks are inquisitive and fun to watch dabble in the mud and forage around the yard. Their ability to fly is just breathtaking and they have gone from landing at the high school parking lot and the lacrosse field to laser-guided, precision landings from high altitude directly into their swimming pool.
We have witnessed a couple of instances where they have met up with other ducks in flight. These occasions have made us wonder how long before they hitch a ride on the jetstream and fly in a large formation all the way to Boca Raton.
A few days ago, they joined a flock of four and we watched them all fly to the horizon as a single, 7-duck squadron. They were gone for quite a while and Shelly and I started saying things like “I’m going to miss those little quackers.” and “What should we do with the aviary?”
Then, after maybe 8 minutes of being completely out of view, our three came back to the yard with gear and flaps down for a perfect landing.
Then, just the day before yesterday, they went for a short flight in the morning, and two new mallard females landed with them in our yard. Surprisingly, the professor chased the newcomers around the yard in an unfriendly way until they flew off.
Despite being raised by us, these ducks have strong instincts that don’t necessarily apply to their current environment. They aren’t lacking for food and there would seem to be enough room to support a couple more ducks. Still, they seem to defend the yard aggressively. It may be inscrutable to us, but I am sure it makes sense in their tiny heads.
Shelly insists that if I were planning to keep any extra duck visitors, she’d put her foot down… Would she though?