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Hi there
As everyone knows I was at Leighton moss at the weekend
I came across this really cute friendly Female Mallard Duck while walking around the reserve.
The people who are looking after her raised her as a duckling.
So she has people engrained in her mind
This is a picture of her sitting on my arm.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Awww, how cute is that? Lovely photo Kathy.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Oh bless her!! Great pic Kathy! She's a sweetie!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
Hello Blackbird,
Of all the birds that you could imagine to see perched on someone's arm or shoulder, a duck has to be one of the more unusual! This female mallard obviously imprinted herself onto her humans carers and is clearly not afraid of humans, which whilst this image is indeed very endearing, is not always a good thing in wild birds. In ducks and geese, imprinting occurs within the first 24-48 hours after hatching. The first thing that young ducks normally see is their mother, whom they will then follow. However, in the absence of an adult duck, ducklings will imprint themselves onto almost any object, which could include wooden blocks or even old boots. Imprinting serves an important purpose as it will help that animal later on in life, especially in terms of breeding.
Glad you enjoyed your trip to Leighton Moss.
Hi MrsT
You are quite right in what you say.
Ducks are very object orientated,
I heard minimum information about what happened to the ducks parents.
If I came across a situation with eggs and youngsters, I would call the correct bodies to resolve the issue
Taking wildlife like Mallards, and treating the Duck like a Domestic Duck is wrong.
Jennifer T said: Hello Blackbird, Of all the birds that you could imagine to see perched on someone's arm or shoulder, a duck has to be one of the more unusual! This female mallard obviously imprinted herself onto her humans carers and is clearly not afraid of humans, which whilst this image is indeed very endearing, is not always a good thing in wild birds. In ducks and geese, imprinting occurs within the first 24-48 hours after hatching. The first thing that young ducks normally see is their mother, whom they will then follow. However, in the absence of an adult duck, ducklings will imprint themselves onto almost any object, which could include wooden blocks or even old boots. Imprinting serves an important purpose as it will help that animal later on in life, especially in terms of breeding. Glad you enjoyed your trip to Leighton Moss.
Thank you for your replies everyone
The duck was not afraid of me at all {smile}
Kathy, it is indeed a lovely picture, but, as you say, I always worry about 'wild birds' who become so trusting of humans that they are in danger when they come in contact with those who are not bird/animal friendly.
Hi Brenda
As with MrsT, I totally agree that it is wrong to take wild animals away from their natural surroundings and domesticate them (if you call it that!)
It is unfair as the animals lose their wild instincts, and trust people far too much - in some cases not everyone is kind to animals or even people at times
I just found out that this person, and his duck are well known amongst people at Leighton Moss and he is no stranger to many people at all
So at least people can see that the Mallard is fine
I have seen people try to tame Foxes before while watching a Wildlife programme
The fox becomes besotted by people, and it is not good to see that behaviour at all.
Just makes us all think about our actions