I spent a couple of pleasant, fairly productive hours this morning birding at the Sanford Lagoons (aka the hotspot formerly known as the Sanford Sewer Ponds). There was not an abundance of waterfowl there today, but I was pleased to see a number of broods of new ducklings and goslings trailing along after their mothers. I noted one family of Wood Ducks (mother with five young); two of Mallards (one with six young, another with four); one of Black Ducks (four ducklings); and three of Canada Geese (four, six, and three young).
But then there was another female Mallard with a huge raft of ducklings swimming along behind her. I could never get a precise count but there was easily between 25 and 30 fuzzballs following Mama. What was going on here? Surely she didn't hatch out a brood that large herself. Would ducklings from other mothers have simply joined the parade, with this one female running essentially a day-care service for ducklings? If the young from some of the other broods I saw broke away from their own mothers and took up with this one I never witnessed it happening. And besides, I hadn't seen this many total ducklings with the other females.
http://northbynortheastblog.blogspot.com/
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Paul F. Wells
West Kennebunk, ME
USA
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
--Albert Schweitzer
Paul F. Wells
West Kennebunk, ME
USA
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
--Albert Schweitzer
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