Mallard babies a few days old at Ashbridge's Bay
Great excitement today! I had completely given up hope of seeing any ducklings, goslings this spring at our Bay. I still maintain some hope, however slight, that the mute swans’ eggs might still hatch….
But as I was going around the back side of the park, which is to say, the lake side, not the bay side, as I came around past where the groundhogs live, there in Dog Bay I saw little brown specks being buffetted about in the waves near the shore. I had to take my sunglasses off and adjust my glasses to be sure. But as I came around the shore and took another hard look through my binoculars, my heart gave a leap. The little brown specks were, in fact, ducklings….Mallard babies, here in the park! I am surprised that they hatched so late in the season, but perhaps that is my lack of knowledge talking.
Tomorrow I will try to get down here again and try to get a pic of the little guys…Ten of them! Tiny little brown fluffballs being tossed about in the wind-whipped waves yesterday. I think I heard on the TV that the winds were high today. Actually, I just checked the weather and it says the winds were about 50 km/h this afternoon when I was out. It was extremely breezy. so much so that despite the unseasonably hot temps (over 30 with humidex making it feel like it was in the 40s), I was very cool while I was sitting on a rock on the lake side.
Canada geese check out a cormorant drying his wings in the afternoon sun
I’m betting anything there won’t be 10 ducklings left when I go back tomorrow to check on them. They disappear quickly. There are so many predators, including, I think, aerial enemies, like raptors and herons, and aquatic ones, like large fish. I’m not sure what else would enjoy a meal of fuzzy duckling, but there are lots of other creatures around — wild ones, like turtles and small mammals — and plenty of domesticated ones that are all too often not on a leash.
As far as the swan babies go — perhaps all of us who love the swans here will get lucky, and the Mrs. will soon have some cygnets to take care of.
I’m rooting for them.
©BCP 2010
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