M is for Mallard.
The mallard is my favorite duck. I know that I can find a mallard almost anywhere I go where there is a bit of water. In fact, that very homeliness makes them appealing. Mallards are always there - like good friends. You can't be at all homesick when you've spied a mallard in your travels.
Mallards will stand still and let you take their photo no matter what they are doing. They are patient and wait for a treat...quack a soft 'thank you' and tuck in. Of course, that makes them even more willing to stand still for a shot.
A mallard isn't afraid of hard work and reports for duty on the coldest, rainiest days. You can count on seeing mallards no matter when you head out for a walk. They don't seem to need much of a pond to work in, either. Just a bit of flooded cow pasture will be enough for a mallard. Perfect opportunists.
I think that mallards are also quite beautiful. On a sunny day, their heads gleam with greens. They have amazing blues in their tail feathers and intricate pattern of so many different browns. And, for such a common duck, they carry themselves through the water with immense dignity. But, what I like best about mallards is...their quacking! It always, always makes me smile. It sounds like laughter to me. Crazy, knee-slapping laughter. How could I not love it?
12 comments:
I agree with EVERYTHING you say about the Mallards, but you say it so much better than I could!!! I think they are beautiful. We take a lot of beautiful and common things for granted just because there are lots around, like dandelions.
This may just be the nicest write up a mallard duck ever received. Lovely tribute to a bird we sort of get so used to that we fail to appreciate its beauty.
Improbably, I saw several ducks and pheasants in the very inner city of Detroit this week in a long abandoned neighborhood. My patient's home was one of only 3 left on the once bustling block. There was some water nearby and this must have been the attraction for the critters. The pheasants were much more of a surprise than the ducks, but it was still a pleasure to see.
I love them too! They are always out at the pond and they are the most entertaining of all the birds out there. Plus, they don't eye ball Tucker like he's a meal. There were 4 male mallards the other day and they were fussing at each other like crazy! I wish I had had my camera that day! Love your pix!
I've been watching some mallards flying. There is a concrete pond/fountain in nearby park, and this is when the ducks start swimming about. The mallards will swim in anything, just like you said. I've seen them floating down the over-flow ditch in about 6 inches of water. Lovely post, well-written tribute to the humble mallard.
Beautiful photos and beautiful words, Stephanie! I am a fan of the mallard, too.
thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. they are deeply appreciated. blessings ~ tanna
Excellent M subject. Only thing is I would never call them homely. Those brilliant green heads on the males and the darling little curl in the tail feathers. I think the females are beauteous too!
they are lovely ducks. great pic too, your description is lovley .
Around here, with two rivers and a canal virtually on our doorstep, Mallards are ten-a-penny, like Sparrows - yet the antics of both of these species remind me of a bunch of 'clowns' rushing out into the BigTop between acts!
And don't you just love the way the tail feathers turn up beautifully, like someone's had the curling tongs out....!
Yes they are indeed great creatures! I too love their colour, and their persistence, can't be easy to have to work so hard for every meal!
I always see a few of these friendly ducks in the creeks along our bike trails. My favorite time is the spring when the babes hatch.
...and having sex in front of lots of people don't change their headcolors :-D
In Denmark we have ducks, if just there is a little/tiny sea!
Have a nice week :)
Post a Comment