Man saves ducklings from ledge
May 19, 2009 2:58 PM Subscribe
Man saves ducklings from ledge (video begins after short ad)
I wish he'd consulted with a naturalist before wasting his time and risking his life. It turns out that kind of nest is normal for certain kinds of ducks, and it doesn't really represent a hazard for the ducklings. When time comes to leave the nest, they jump.
They're small enough, and fluffy enough, and bouncy enough, so that their terminal velocity isn't very high, and most of the time they'll land safely.
(I saw that in one of the "Life on Earth" or "Living Planet" documentaries, where they showed it happening with a duck who had made a nest on a cliff.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:03 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
They're small enough, and fluffy enough, and bouncy enough, so that their terminal velocity isn't very high, and most of the time they'll land safely.
(I saw that in one of the "Life on Earth" or "Living Planet" documentaries, where they showed it happening with a duck who had made a nest on a cliff.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:03 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
Chocolate Pickle, those ducks land on rotted leaf covered forest floor, not concrete sidewalk. The operative word is "splat".
actually, no.
posted by mcstayinskool at 3:08 PM on May 19, 2009
actually, no.
posted by mcstayinskool at 3:08 PM on May 19, 2009
In related news, Geithner saves another banker from ledge...
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:14 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:14 PM on May 19, 2009
I'm thinking, Hot Wheels track.
posted by run"monty at 3:19 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by run"monty at 3:19 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
There's a webcam! (Which is down right now, of course.)
I'm a birder who can tell you what happens if a new-to-flying peregrine crashes into a building, but I have no idea what happens if a duckling falls X feet onto a sidewalk. My guess is that if the duckling's light enough, and the fall not too far, it gets up and creates a group of humans who go "Awwwwwww! Cuuuuuuute!"
posted by rtha at 3:20 PM on May 19, 2009
I'm a birder who can tell you what happens if a new-to-flying peregrine crashes into a building, but I have no idea what happens if a duckling falls X feet onto a sidewalk. My guess is that if the duckling's light enough, and the fall not too far, it gets up and creates a group of humans who go "Awwwwwww! Cuuuuuuute!"
posted by rtha at 3:20 PM on May 19, 2009
Chocolate Prickle...who freakin' cares?! It was nice of him to do it, and by calling attention to the situation, he is able to keep the whole flock together and be sure they make it to water. Chicks could've been accidentally trampled or separated if they fell and nobody was there catching and keeping them together. Lighten up everyone. Cute story, but he SHOULD figure out a way to get them to nest somewhere else.
posted by ChickenringNYC at 3:22 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by ChickenringNYC at 3:22 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
I really want to know what happened to the ducklings in the sewer in Washington that the fire department pulled out. The story just says they got sent to Animal Control. That seems like a less-than-optimal outcome to me.
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:22 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:22 PM on May 19, 2009
If it happens in 2010 I'm calling shenanigans.
You think he's impregnating the ducks himself and then forcing them to nest on ledges?
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 3:28 PM on May 19, 2009 [12 favorites]
You think he's impregnating the ducks himself and then forcing them to nest on ledges?
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 3:28 PM on May 19, 2009 [12 favorites]
The survival rate isn't going to be 100%, but there are still going to be more live ducklings after the fact than there would be if the nest were near the ground, where cats and dogs and raccoons and possums could reach it.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:43 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:43 PM on May 19, 2009
As God is my witness, I thought ducklings could bungee-jump!
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:47 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:47 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
I'm going to suggest that for next year he build a portable circular slide with a big funnel on the top, so that when the duckling steps off, he can catch it and it will be whisked around (peeping the whole way) before being safely deposited on the ground at its mothers feet.
Such a thing would be safe and freaking awesome to watch.
Plus, it would ratchet up the crazy to a new level.
There is something about watching ducklings walk that takes the anger right out of me. I don't care how bad a day I've had, how many people have yelled at me, how many toes I've stubbed, if I see ducklings waddling along making that little, barely audible peep that they do, I'm instantly feeling better. Every time. They should figure out a way to bottle that kind of happiness.
posted by quin at 3:48 PM on May 19, 2009 [14 favorites]
Such a thing would be safe and freaking awesome to watch.
Plus, it would ratchet up the crazy to a new level.
There is something about watching ducklings walk that takes the anger right out of me. I don't care how bad a day I've had, how many people have yelled at me, how many toes I've stubbed, if I see ducklings waddling along making that little, barely audible peep that they do, I'm instantly feeling better. Every time. They should figure out a way to bottle that kind of happiness.
posted by quin at 3:48 PM on May 19, 2009 [14 favorites]
Great, now the next time somebody shouts 'duck!' I'm going to stand there looking up instead of making like a hippy and squatting...
posted by Sova at 3:48 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by Sova at 3:48 PM on May 19, 2009
Oh YAYYY happy endings! I loved that video, it gave me the warm fuzzies.
Due to the skeptical and crotchety comments in this thread I was prompted to see other ducklings fall and sure enough, some ducklings fall but on a BOUNCY bed of leaves. Concrete definitely doesn't bounce. And then they could have been squished by traffic.
All around, how delightful he cared enough to make the effort to be lovingly kind, nice that others witnessed his actions and if they were like me, felt inspired.
Thanks for the smile Anything.
posted by nickyskye at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Due to the skeptical and crotchety comments in this thread I was prompted to see other ducklings fall and sure enough, some ducklings fall but on a BOUNCY bed of leaves. Concrete definitely doesn't bounce. And then they could have been squished by traffic.
All around, how delightful he cared enough to make the effort to be lovingly kind, nice that others witnessed his actions and if they were like me, felt inspired.
Thanks for the smile Anything.
posted by nickyskye at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Well, that's one way to get people to watch an Intel ad.
posted by grounded at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by grounded at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2009
Well, some birder saying it on a forum isn't evidence enough. Let's let one of them drop and be scientific.
Drop which one -- the bird or the birder? One of them will be significantly more fun to watch than the other.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:58 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Drop which one -- the bird or the birder? One of them will be significantly more fun to watch than the other.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:58 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Where the heck was Police Officer Michael and his colleagues?
posted by ericb at 3:58 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by ericb at 3:58 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
Call me a jerk, but I'm wondering if a few unfortunate accidents might teach the ducks to nest elsewhere? I'm not trying to challenge the awwwww factor so much as understand the overall impact here. I'm one who thinks they'd land just fine without help, but assuming they explode upon impact, would the ducks maybe decide to find a new nesting spot after losing most or all of their offspring this way?
posted by palidor at 4:06 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by palidor at 4:06 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
You think he's impregnating the ducks himself and then forcing them to nest on ledges?
The county of Los Angeles is aware of the situation, and is dealing with it.
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:08 PM on May 19, 2009 [5 favorites]
The county of Los Angeles is aware of the situation, and is dealing with it.
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:08 PM on May 19, 2009 [5 favorites]
Call me a jerk, but I'm wondering if a few unfortunate accidents might teach the ducks to nest elsewhere?
I'll call you something else.
posted by gman at 4:16 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'll call you something else.
posted by gman at 4:16 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Oh no, I just got the scary thought that my mom is on MetaFilter. She sent me this via mass-email last week.
Oh my god, I just had another scary thought: My mom is sending me things before I see them on MetaFilter.
posted by not_on_display at 4:31 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
Oh my god, I just had another scary thought: My mom is sending me things before I see them on MetaFilter.
posted by not_on_display at 4:31 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
quinn, your circular duckling slide reminded me of this How It's Made clip that shows hatchery chicks (harrowing ApertureScience-like machine conveyor belt begins at 2:42).
(Although the episode I saw on Discovery had a *much* better narrator.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:34 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
(Although the episode I saw on Discovery had a *much* better narrator.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:34 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
They didn't say if that meant splat or not, but it didn't sound happy.
I raised a few birds before, and when you drop them they spread their wings. I've never raised ducks, but being in the air comes pretty instinctually to birds, I imagine. Even when they can't fly, they try, and it's usually enough to glide them down given their light weight. Fluffy, lightweight ducklings slowing their descent by flapping their wings... doesn't sound dangerous.
It's cool he walked them through the street, though.
posted by Avelwood at 4:56 PM on May 19, 2009
I raised a few birds before, and when you drop them they spread their wings. I've never raised ducks, but being in the air comes pretty instinctually to birds, I imagine. Even when they can't fly, they try, and it's usually enough to glide them down given their light weight. Fluffy, lightweight ducklings slowing their descent by flapping their wings... doesn't sound dangerous.
It's cool he walked them through the street, though.
posted by Avelwood at 4:56 PM on May 19, 2009
Have YOU Made Way For Ducklings recently? Well, HAVE YOU?
posted by grapefruitmoon at 5:20 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by grapefruitmoon at 5:20 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Have YOU Made Way For Ducklings recently? Well, HAVE YOU?
Yep.
posted by ericb at 5:23 PM on May 19, 2009
Yep.
posted by ericb at 5:23 PM on May 19, 2009
Call me a jerk, but I'm wondering if a few unfortunate accidents might teach the ducks to nest elsewhere?
I'll tell you a secret. No, two secrets: Birds can be incredibly, stupidly loyal to a nest site. Some species (not mallards) renowned for their mate-for-life faithfulness may not be loyal to their mate as much as they're loyal to the nest site.
And? Mallards are terrible parents. Terrible. The fact that the clutches are large (usually at least eight eggs) and they can - and will - lay more than one clutch a season tells you that a lot of young aren't going to make it to breeding age. The males don't help with raising the young, so it's one female mallard looking after 8-12 ducklings. If you watch a pair of Canada geese with goslings, you'll see that, if they're swimming across a pond, one adult goes first and the other brings up the rear. I don't know that I've seen Canada geese with more than four goslings.
With mallards, as soon as the ducklings are fit for water, mom sort of swims off and doesn't keep very close track - ducklings all over the pond!
Nature. Woo.
posted by rtha at 5:29 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
I'll tell you a secret. No, two secrets: Birds can be incredibly, stupidly loyal to a nest site. Some species (not mallards) renowned for their mate-for-life faithfulness may not be loyal to their mate as much as they're loyal to the nest site.
And? Mallards are terrible parents. Terrible. The fact that the clutches are large (usually at least eight eggs) and they can - and will - lay more than one clutch a season tells you that a lot of young aren't going to make it to breeding age. The males don't help with raising the young, so it's one female mallard looking after 8-12 ducklings. If you watch a pair of Canada geese with goslings, you'll see that, if they're swimming across a pond, one adult goes first and the other brings up the rear. I don't know that I've seen Canada geese with more than four goslings.
With mallards, as soon as the ducklings are fit for water, mom sort of swims off and doesn't keep very close track - ducklings all over the pond!
Nature. Woo.
posted by rtha at 5:29 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
If you watch a pair of Canada geese with goslings, you'll see that, if they're swimming across a pond, one adult goes first and the other brings up the rear.
Also, within 5 minutes they'll crap all over my soccer field.
posted by inigo2 at 5:42 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, within 5 minutes they'll crap all over my soccer field.
posted by inigo2 at 5:42 PM on May 19, 2009 [1 favorite]
Don't they make little pastries for ducks like these? I mean to cook them in.
posted by From Bklyn at 6:24 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 6:24 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
I wish he'd consulted with a naturalist before wasting his time and risking his life
Eh..this is in the middle of a manmade concrete jungle; there's nothing "natural" about the situation, so different guidelines apply. Say what you will, while letting the ducklings fall may have been the correct and proper thing to do, but nature doesn't take human emotion into consideration and letting the ducklings fall is a cold and callous thing by human emotional standards.
posted by zerokey at 6:35 PM on May 19, 2009
Eh..this is in the middle of a manmade concrete jungle; there's nothing "natural" about the situation, so different guidelines apply. Say what you will, while letting the ducklings fall may have been the correct and proper thing to do, but nature doesn't take human emotion into consideration and letting the ducklings fall is a cold and callous thing by human emotional standards.
posted by zerokey at 6:35 PM on May 19, 2009
I liked it.
We should all treat each other this well.
Thanks for the smile.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:29 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
We should all treat each other this well.
Thanks for the smile.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:29 PM on May 19, 2009 [2 favorites]
I can't think of anything douchey to say. Anything!
posted by Mister_A at 7:41 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 7:41 PM on May 19, 2009 [3 favorites]
I wish he'd consulted with a naturalist before wasting his time and risking his life. ...When time comes to leave the nest, they jump.
watch the video. He doesn't risk his life and the time does come & the ducks do jump. He just acts as the bed of leaves for them, softening their landing by sort of catching them on the way down. maybe they'd have been all right without his assistance, but it's also possible he only started doing it because he saw them injure themselves when landing directly on concrete.
posted by mdn at 8:14 PM on May 19, 2009
watch the video. He doesn't risk his life and the time does come & the ducks do jump. He just acts as the bed of leaves for them, softening their landing by sort of catching them on the way down. maybe they'd have been all right without his assistance, but it's also possible he only started doing it because he saw them injure themselves when landing directly on concrete.
posted by mdn at 8:14 PM on May 19, 2009
With mallards, as soon as the ducklings are fit for water, mom sort of swims off and doesn't keep very close track - ducklings all over the pond!
Shoo, shoo, off to college already!!
posted by txvtchick at 8:39 PM on May 19, 2009
Shoo, shoo, off to college already!!
posted by txvtchick at 8:39 PM on May 19, 2009
I should clarify: the ducklings do still look to their mother for sheltering and maybe a bit of feeding, and they do return to the nest site (if they can) when it gets dark. But otherwise: ducklings! All over the pond!
posted by rtha at 8:48 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by rtha at 8:48 PM on May 19, 2009
Understood. Great comment though. Wikipedia is a bit vague on mom/baby duck behavior.
posted by txvtchick at 8:54 PM on May 19, 2009
posted by txvtchick at 8:54 PM on May 19, 2009
Thanks rtha. I don't think I gathered from my incredibly vigorous watching of Life of Birds how versatile some birds are when it comes to nest sites. When I made the comment I made here about those ducks learning the hard way to find a new nest site to a friend I got the "oh so you're going to second guess this cute adorable rescue operation that affirms the power of love despite our species' differences huh?" And I'm like "NO! I just want to know how they behave! Is that so wrong??" We're allowed to have cute things, and also think about them!
So ducks are pretty stupid though right??
posted by palidor at 12:16 AM on May 20, 2009
So ducks are pretty stupid though right??
posted by palidor at 12:16 AM on May 20, 2009
Well, they said he missed one last year. Did it survive or not?
posted by Chuckles at 12:37 AM on May 20, 2009
posted by Chuckles at 12:37 AM on May 20, 2009
Also, within 5 minutes they'll crap all over my soccer field.
If you build it, they will come.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:05 AM on May 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you build it, they will come.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:05 AM on May 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
Well, they said he missed one last year. Did it survive or not?
posted by Chuckles at 3:37 AM
Sounds like it did...
In his disbelief Joel watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. My brother couldn't watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall.
All ten darling ducklings safely made the plunge and paddled up snugly to momma duck.
posted by orme at 4:12 AM on May 20, 2009
posted by Chuckles at 3:37 AM
Sounds like it did...
In his disbelief Joel watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. My brother couldn't watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall.
All ten darling ducklings safely made the plunge and paddled up snugly to momma duck.
posted by orme at 4:12 AM on May 20, 2009
Ducklings not resilient enough to withstand such drops probably do not grow up to be ducks that hatch ducklings in high places. I'm betting that ducklings are evolutionarily used to this stuff, just as kittens are used to being picked up by the neck and hauled around by their mothers. Still, if I saw this happening I'd be catching ducklings and stopping traffic and so on.
posted by pracowity at 4:48 AM on May 20, 2009
posted by pracowity at 4:48 AM on May 20, 2009
I'll tell you a secret. No, two secrets: Birds can be incredibly, stupidly loyal to a nest site. Some species (not mallards) renowned for their mate-for-life faithfulness may not be loyal to their mate as much as they're loyal to the nest site.
And? Mallards are terrible parents. Terrible. The fact that the clutches are large (usually at least eight eggs) and they can - and will - lay more than one clutch a season tells you that a lot of young aren't going to make it to breeding age. The males don't help with raising the young, so it's one female mallard looking after 8-12 ducklings. If you watch a pair of Canada geese with goslings, you'll see that, if they're swimming across a pond, one adult goes first and the other brings up the rear. I don't know that I've seen Canada geese with more than four goslings.
With mallards, as soon as the ducklings are fit for water, mom sort of swims off and doesn't keep very close track - ducklings all over the pond!
Nature. Woo.
Not only that, but male mallard ducks are stone-cold assholes. A few weeks ago, I was at a picnic on the shore of a canal. A clutch had hatched the day before, and while we were there, the mother duck (fresh from weeks of keeping the eggs warm, and therefore not eating) gathered the 6 ducklings and herded them toward the water for the first time. We watched as they figured out the basics of swimming in a straight line, and then they bobbed on the water for a while as the mother looked on approvingly. It was at that moment that the five males who had been watching from the shore while begging bread crumbs from us decided to take action... by dispatching two of their number to land on top of her and force her head underwater, while a third awkwardly attempted to mount her. Feathers flew; accusations of mallard gang-rape flew; the mother bird finally flew back to the shore, looking much worse for the wear; the ducklings bobbed serenely on the water; the rest of the ducks came back for more bread crumbs.
So I guess what I'm saying is, yes, nature. Woo.
posted by Mayor West at 4:58 AM on May 20, 2009 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I've seen that behavior a lot too - a bunch desperate male mallards chasing an exhausted female. Bleh.
And I'm like "NO! I just want to know how they behave! Is that so wrong??"
This! I want to enjoy and appreciate the aaawwwww cuuuuuute, and I do, but I also always want to know the why and how behind stuff like this, because it's fun and cool.
I learned a lot more than I thought I wanted to know about duck behavior when I worked at a job I hated. The job was five minutes from one of the best birding spots in the county - it was right on the bay, there were ponds and fields, etc. In the fall and winter I could count on seeing at least a dozen different species of ducks and geese. So to escape the hated job I went every day, sometimes in the morning before work, always at lunch, and occasionally after work as well, and looked at birds. Going so often let me track different species and behaviors through the season, and because the place was popular with walkers and runners (and birders) the birds were used to humans and they didn't spook if you stood there staring at them through binoculars. I still miss that spot (but not the job).
posted by rtha at 6:13 AM on May 20, 2009
And I'm like "NO! I just want to know how they behave! Is that so wrong??"
This! I want to enjoy and appreciate the aaawwwww cuuuuuute, and I do, but I also always want to know the why and how behind stuff like this, because it's fun and cool.
I learned a lot more than I thought I wanted to know about duck behavior when I worked at a job I hated. The job was five minutes from one of the best birding spots in the county - it was right on the bay, there were ponds and fields, etc. In the fall and winter I could count on seeing at least a dozen different species of ducks and geese. So to escape the hated job I went every day, sometimes in the morning before work, always at lunch, and occasionally after work as well, and looked at birds. Going so often let me track different species and behaviors through the season, and because the place was popular with walkers and runners (and birders) the birds were used to humans and they didn't spook if you stood there staring at them through binoculars. I still miss that spot (but not the job).
posted by rtha at 6:13 AM on May 20, 2009
Seriously re: mallards as assholes. Had one cut me off on the highway going 90 (I was going 75 in a 65), and this is after two miles of honking at me because I wouldn't go EVEN FASTER. So, at the first opportunity, he ZIPS in front of me, waaaaaaaaaay too close, nearly forcing me off the highway onto the shoulder and into a ditch. I flipped him off but he just laughed.
Fuck those guys.
posted by grubi at 6:30 AM on May 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Fuck those guys.
posted by grubi at 6:30 AM on May 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Canadian geese don't have much luck with their goslings either, though. I've watched a pair for two years now (actually, it could be two separate pairs, I have no idea if they're the same geese as last year) and they start off the spring with 8 or 10 goslings. By the end of the month there are 3 or 4 and eventually there are just 2 who seem to make it at least into adolescence, at which point they all leave the park.
One terrible morning last year my dog got a gosling but fortunately he's a springer spaniel, soft mouthed, and when I shouted at him to drop it, he did. The gosling looked around for a minute and then ran after its mother and siblings and paddled away down the river happily enough. We were all relieved, including my dog, who never expects to catch anything and was completely stunned that he actually did.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:23 AM on May 20, 2009
One terrible morning last year my dog got a gosling but fortunately he's a springer spaniel, soft mouthed, and when I shouted at him to drop it, he did. The gosling looked around for a minute and then ran after its mother and siblings and paddled away down the river happily enough. We were all relieved, including my dog, who never expects to catch anything and was completely stunned that he actually did.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:23 AM on May 20, 2009
I too have seen the duck gang-rape phenomenon a couple times, and found this article to be very interesting. It discusses how female ducks have evolved to have complicated, maze-like reproductive tracts with dead ends and whatnot to keep the mean raping male ducks from being able to impregnate them. Nature is a strange thing...
Oh, and the man catching the cute little ducklings and leading them to water made me smile.
posted by thejanna at 9:25 AM on May 20, 2009
Oh, and the man catching the cute little ducklings and leading them to water made me smile.
posted by thejanna at 9:25 AM on May 20, 2009
Well, see, the first one would go splat, and then maybe the second and third, but after awhile there'd be a nice downy splatter-cushion built up.
Problem solved.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:40 AM on May 20, 2009
Problem solved.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:40 AM on May 20, 2009
I learned about duck rape from Radio Lab. While I was watching this story, I was thinking aww cute ducklings and then omg their mom was DUCK RAPED. So... thanks, Radio Lab.
posted by spec80 at 10:52 AM on May 20, 2009
posted by spec80 at 10:52 AM on May 20, 2009
after awhile there'd be a nice downy splatter-cushion built up.
They weren't all going to survive anyway, after all.
Thanks for the link orme! I guess I'm a little too lazy.
posted by Chuckles at 11:35 AM on May 20, 2009
They weren't all going to survive anyway, after all.
Thanks for the link orme! I guess I'm a little too lazy.
posted by Chuckles at 11:35 AM on May 20, 2009
I used to live in a neighborhood that had wild peacocks, and when the hens would roost for laying eggs they chose some really stupid places, like cement stairwells. I can safely say that several "splat" experiences never taught the mothers anything.
posted by queensissy at 11:31 PM on May 20, 2009
posted by queensissy at 11:31 PM on May 20, 2009
We live on a duck pond. Mallards are assholes. Not only is there omgduckrape, but the mallards will kill ducklings. And the turtles will kill them. And I'm pretty sure the catfish may be dragging a few down. Basically, the odds of a duckling surviving are about equal to being a non-fucked up DisneyKid star.
Sure, it happens often enough that they keep reproducing...but not so often that we're over run by them.
posted by dejah420 at 12:36 AM on June 9, 2009
Sure, it happens often enough that they keep reproducing...but not so often that we're over run by them.
posted by dejah420 at 12:36 AM on June 9, 2009
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"Sgt. Michael Engels ... reached down and scooped the swimming ducks into the bucket"
posted by now i'm piste at 3:02 PM on May 19, 2009