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

In message , rjbl
writes
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 thought about posting this to uk.rec.birdwatching where there
are some very well informed group members, notably Malcolm Ogilvie, who
may well be able to shed light on your mallards' practices?
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

"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

pied piper wrote:
"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

lol I must confess, it did occur to me

Ophelia wrote:
pied piper wrote:
"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

lol I must confess, it did occur to me


Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.
rjbl

In article ,
rjbl wrote:
Ophelia wrote:
pied piper wrote:

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

Have you considered breaking out the pancakes and plum sauce yummy

lol I must confess, it did occur to me

Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.

Nice to see some irony again.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

rjbl wrote:
Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.
rjbl

Oh dear Well, admittedly we haven't shot and eaten Mallard, but we have
been ok with Teal.

In article ,
Ophelia wrote:
rjbl wrote:
Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.

Oh dear Well, admittedly we haven't shot and eaten Mallard, but we have
been ok with Teal.

You didn't actually BELIEVE that, did you? It was either irony or
bullshit.

Clostridium botulinum is widespread in the environment, and you are
almost certain to be exposed to it. Eating anything that has come
in contact with aquatic sediment (animal OR vegetable) may be the
best way to do so, but it's simplest to regard it as inevitable.

It can grow ONLY in fairly low acid, anaerobic conditions, which is
why home preservation of low acid foods is dangerous (of the sort
that excludes air). The toxin is also destroyed by cooking. This
bacterium is one reason that it is illegal for restaurants to put
uncooked meat (which may carry the spores) in the same refrigerator
as cooked meat (in which it may grow, and will be served without
further cooking).

Most people are in no danger from eating the spores, as it cannot
grow in the acidic conditions of their gut. Curiously, I am at more
risk than most people, as I am on proton pump inhibitors, but I
don't worry.

See Wikipedia.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from rjbl contains these words:

Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.

I've never heard such nonsesnse!

A lot of mallard are shot locally, and there's never been a whisper of
any such thing.

Ducks from the estate where I 'do a bit' are amongst these, and are
processed by the head gamekeeper and his staff. (TAAAW, pheasants,
partridges, rabbits, the occasional hare, and venison. The best are
cleaned and packed for sale as-is, and sausages and burgers made from
the rest - or parts thereof.)

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

Rusty_Hinge wrote:
The message
from rjbl contains these words:

Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.

I've never heard such nonsesnse!

A lot of mallard are shot locally, and there's never been a whisper of
any such thing.

Ducks from the estate where I 'do a bit' are amongst these, and are
processed by the head gamekeeper and his staff. (TAAAW, pheasants,
partridges, rabbits, the occasional hare, and venison. The best are
cleaned and packed for sale as-is, and sausages and burgers made from
the rest - or parts thereof.)

Well, I haven't had the chance of Mallard, but I will not refuse it if I
do - thank you

Rusty_Hinge wrote:
The message
from rjbl contains these words:

Bit risky with native waterfowl - Cl. botulinum is endemic in most of
them - tastes nice but kills 80% of the infected consumers. Best to
stick to hygienic, farmed ducks.

I've never heard such nonsesnse!

A lot of mallard are shot locally, and there's never been a whisper of
any such thing.

Ducks from the estate where I 'do a bit' are amongst these, and are
processed by the head gamekeeper and his staff. (TAAAW, pheasants,
partridges, rabbits, the occasional hare, and venison. The best are
cleaned and packed for sale as-is, and sausages and burgers made from
the rest - or parts thereof.)

Hmmm..... Vairy interestink! Mallard are actually a species protected by
the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it an offence
"..intentionally to kill, injure or take any wild bird, or to take,
damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young.."


Killing them and eating may well be fun, but 'tis a crime - just where
is this Estate of which you speak?

Pity, since you obviously have deep knowledge of the natural history
that you seem so unwilling to offer any useful knowledge in answer of
the exam question.

rjbl

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/bird...lard/index.asp

Great ones for gang bangs are mallards. Fearful scandal locally when an unfortunate duck eventually drowned as a result.

beccabunga wrote:
rjbl;834217 Wrote:

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

rjbl


http://tinyurl.com/c9yafb

Great ones for gang bangs are mallards. Fearful scandal locally when an
unfortunate duck eventually drowned as a result.




Thanks for the URL - very helpful. Someone else has spotted the species
rather freewheeling amorousness - doesn't seem to be confined to
boy-girl activities tho'. Seems to have a social ritualistic element to
the behaviour.

rjbl