"rjbl" wrote in message
...
Anyone know anything about the sociology and natural history of Mallard
ducks?

We have an intriguing situation in our garden. The same family of mallard
take up residence in our garden every year (have done for about the last
five years). They consist of a pair and a younger drake. They always
arrive, from who knows where, in the third week in March and always leave,
for who knows where, in the third week of June. In the meantime they
waddle happily around the garden, completely unafraid of us and roost
under various hedges. Occasionally they nibble at the wild bird seed we
put down; on hot days they dabble in our pond and on one occasion we had
to check the young drake into our local vet. (He had dislocated his hip in
a clumsy landing, it was ok after a week of anti-inflamatory injections,
physiotherapy and feeding and was returned to its parents(?) fit and
well - the vet did it all for free - because it was a wild animal). We
have never seen any signs that these mallard are actually breeding here -
although a fair amount of ducky eroticism seems to go on - not all of it
straight.

Any body got any ideas where these mallard might get to between June and
the following March. Are mallard migratory?

rjbl

Have you considered breaking out the pancakes and plum sauce yummy