Ducks

Mallards are the duck of choice here at the paddock, their choosing not ours. They are stinky, pooey, noisy and sometimes just plain grotty. But, they are so much fun when they are being cute and are very easily bought with just a couple of bread crusts.

Ducklings are THE most adorable, fluffy ping-pong balls you have ever seen. Sadly at times, predators think so too. Hawks and the odd stray cat are probably the most responsible. Nature aye...

The ducks were trained to be fed at the Duck Stick. They would even wait there when the duck bit fell off. This worked to quite some time until someone got lazy and just threw bread out the door.

There is one other type of duck here also, a pair of Paradise. They are beautiful to look at and are a fairly substantial bird, nearly twice the size of the mallards. It has only been in the last few years that they have started using the pond as part of their round. They only show during the breeding season and they are extremely protective. No other duck is allowed near the pond when they come visiting and they will take it in turn to be the enforcer. One will swoop in and clear out the pond, aggresively, while the other waits with the ducklings until given the nod. They really are nasty when it comes to protecting their young, which is a bit unfortunate for the mallards as they get biffed out.

And then there is 'Stumpy' who has the shortest legs of any duck I have seen. While his body is the normal mallard size, his legs are roughly half as long. I have no idea if he is an actual breed or just a short.... He does have very peculiar markings unlike any of the other ducks. See? No legs...and yes he is standing!

Funny ducks. How they walk straight with feet which point in all directions is baffles me. You just know that when they have an innocent look they have been up to no good. Often in the vege garden!