Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cindyandmocha

Something fun - spring is here

cindyandmocha
14 years ago

Every year since 2 years before the last presidential election - we've had 2 ducks show up at our house. We live about 4 blocks from the lake.

And there are tons of mallard ducks that populate that lake.

Well, we had 2 show up, male and female. The female had a "bum" leg - twisted- which makes her have a severe limp. Additionally, mallards usually mate for life. Since it was pre-election, I named them Bill and Hillary (lame duck - Bill the outgoing president -- ducks have bills -- you get the picture)...

So bill and hillary have been showing up every year for a few years, and this weekend -- gone since October --- they showed up again -- Bill and Hillary.

I know her by her limp. And they are precious to us. They could fly into any backyard pool in our area they want to, but they come to us. My three large monster dogs don't even bother them. They consider them part of the family. I am just tickled that they came back -- they even let us hand feed them, and Hillary has been known to lay more than a few eggs in our back yard under the rose bushes.

Spring is here!

Comments (9)

  • User
    14 years ago

    Pretty neat!

    Used to have nesting geese at one pond in our rented horse pasture----but they had no use for us, horses, or our dogs.

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    How cool! Our backyard and the woods at the edge of the yard floods most years around this time, so it looks like 1/2 the yard is a pond. A pair of mallards comes every year (we think it's the same pair) and swims around in our "pond." Some years we even have their babies swimming around in it, too!

  • debbiep_gw
    14 years ago

    Last spring we had a mom duck and babies come out from under our front porch and sit on our sidewalk.I'm not use why they were under the porch to begin with.This week we saw a pair of ducks fly out of the pecan tree close to the front of the house.

  • rivkadr
    14 years ago

    We have a pair of ducks that hangs out in our pool every year as well -- it's been about 5 years now. I live in Southern California, and around 50% of people have a pool in their backyard in our area, but for some reason this pair of ducks always comes to our pool (too cold for us to use it, so we're fine with it). We call them "The Duckersons".

    It was these two that taught me that ducks have sex in the water ;) And always right about this time of year, Mrs. Duckerson disappears for several days, and it's always Mr. Duckerson hanging out in the pool quacking to himself -- could she be making her nest/laying her eggs? (there's no place to do it in our backyard -- almost all concrete) It's been fun to watch them and have them be part of our lives, and we always get excited when they show up every year, cuz it means it's Spring.

  • vicki7
    14 years ago

    How absolutely precious! I would be honored to have ducks show up at my house. My two yappy schnauzers would go nuts though.

  • olyagrove
    14 years ago

    What a sweet story...and what a precious family of ducks :)

  • Lily316
    14 years ago

    How sweet. We had a pair show up to our koi pond one year but never came back. Maybe because we have a net over the pond protecting the koi from herons and hawks.

  • cindyandmocha
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Aww thanks folks. To me it is just the epitome of springtime. I am traveling a lot right now due to a new client (I am consulting). My dadinlaw told me that yesterday before I got home, he made a few "quacking sounds" (I know that sounds crazy), and lured them up ONTO THE DECK!

    I am going to HD tomorrow and buy some dried corn. Apparently they want some food :)

  • Nancy in Mich
    14 years ago

    A pair of Mallards visit our neighbor's pool every spring. I see them landing in the morning and evenings sometimes.

    At our old house, I was planting plowers one spring when Megan pounced onto a low evergreen bush. A momma mallard flew out of there! I have been withing feet of her for and hour and did not know she was there. We kept Meg leashed and asked the neighbor with the wandering cat to do the same (they let the cat out with and without the leash, not sure why). The momma had a dozen eggs under the bush, right under our bedroom window. I watched carefully, and one morning when I was getting dressed, momma and a line of little yellow ducks marched out of my garden, across the lawn and down the street! Later that year, we had the house sided and the crew must have dropped something or fallen onto that bush. It was crushed. Next spring I saw the mallards come and check out the site a few times, but their home was gone, so they found a new place to nest. It was so neat to see them come in for a landing down the center of our city street!

    It is too early for the ducks to be nesting here, but your reminder will help me to watch for them, Cindy.