This post is part two of three posts about a day spent in Dearborn on September 10th. If you missed last week’s post about my meander along the Rouge Gateway Trail and around Fair Lane Estate and Jergen’s Meadow, just click here.
Next week I will finish off this journey in a post about tripping along Lakeside Trail while enjoying the flora and fauna of Ford Lake.
But today is about whiling away an hour at Ford Field Park’s duck pond.
Each time I visit Dearborn, I stop by this little pond, a cove-like area, which is part of the Rouge River. Sometimes I’ll see about 20-30 Mallards, plus a few Canada Geese paddling around. Still other times the pond is devoid of ducks and geese and I always wonder where they went that day?
As I crossed the parking lot, I could hear some raucous quacking, which alerted me that my feathered friends were in residence, thus potential photo ops might be had. The visit also gave me an excuse to step back in time to me over the years tossing out bread to the ducks at various shorelines and enjoying that interaction just as much as they did.
Since those carefree days of my youth and beyond, I’ve learned that feeding waterfowl bread and/or baked goods is not healthy for them. It causes them to develop a syndrome called angel wing, where their feathers become malformed and stick out at an angle. This is not just about how the ducks or geese look – sadly, they lose their ability to fly as well.
There are signs throughout the area prohibiting you from feeding the wildlife.
That doesn’t stop people though. I was here once when an elderly gentleman was sitting enjoying a large bag of potato chips and the ratio was one chip for him, a dozen chips tossed out to the ducks who swarmed around his feet.
The last time I visited this duck pond, I wrote about the two youngsters, a boy and a girl, sharing their picnic lunch with the ducks which finished up their treats in record time and, since the kids were out of bread they scurried off, so the ducks headed my way assuming I would similarly be doling out ducky delights, their pleading eyes reminiscent of those of my furry friends at Council Point Park.
Well, on this day, just like before, there was a kindly gentleman feeding the waterfowl, but he didn’t arrive on the scene until I’d been there for a while, taking photos and getting hopeful looks from the gang as to what this human might have to offer them.
It was a ducky day weather-wise.
Finally the heat and humidity were gone, likely not a factor to my feathered friends who spend more time in the water than on land anyway.
Near the playground and duck pond, most of the picnic tables were filled with folks enjoying the beautiful day, fast food bags aplenty – who wanted to eat inside today?
As I walked down the sandy slope to get closer to the pond, I noticed many of the ducks were in eclipse phase, wherein males and females look the same once they molt, a drab brown, while they await their new plumage readily identifying them as drakes and hens … well, to us anyway, as I’m sure they know the boys from the girls. 🙂 The brown feathers for the usually vibrant-looking Mallard drakes gives them camouflage protection from predators, since the ducks are unable to fly during this four-to-six-week period.
But wait – there was something new at the ol’ swimming hole … there were Wood Ducks here as well!
A few Mallards waddled over to the sandy shoreline and I began clicking away, but then I stopped and shook my head to signify “nope, I have no food for you; besides, the signs say ‘please don’t feed the wildlife’ – that’s you my friends, even though you might not necessarily think of yourself as wild things.” I think my protests fell on deaf ears, but they, being accommodating ducks, posed nicely anyway.
Woo hoo – Wood Ducks!
You probably remember how excited I was last Spring to find two of these beautiful creatures where I parked my car. Up until then, I was always scoping out marshes and ponds looking for Wood Ducks, but I pulled up in the Ford Field Park parking lot and they were grazing. It was my first up-close encounter with them. So, this was also a treat to now see them here at the duck pond.
The male Wood Ducks were so vibrant, as were their reflections.
Admittedly, the female Wood Ducks are a bit blah, but for a few colorful feathers and that white ring encircling each eye. I decided to use a female Wood Duck as my featured image.
Feathers, feathers … everywhere!
There were lots of white downy feathers glommed together at the water’s edge. Molting wears out all birds and saps their energy. These Mallards seemed to be fascinated with all the downy feathers as if in wonderment, thinking “are some of these feathers mine too?”
There is some synchronized sipping by these two hens, with their mottled-looking bills, as feathers swirl and gather at the shoreline.
This drake, identifiable by a teensy teal spot on its head and its bright-yellow bill, was using one webbed foot to loosen any downy feathers …
… and ended up simply diving headfirst into the water – perhaps that worked better at loosening those feathers.
Eyes on the Prize.
I’d already taken a ton of photos, made my apologies to the gang for having no treats and was about ready to leave, when I saw some Canada Geese hustling up the slope, the ducks following close behind.
So what suddenly piqued their interest? Before I swiveled my head to look, I knew it had to be a human was doling out treats for them, likely a “regular” whom they recognized.
Yes, the man was behind a tree next to the picnic table, but there they were, storming up the hill, headed toward him, as he threw out tidbits to the crowd.
This female Wood Duck was just like an Olympian, on the move, …
… scaling this tree root like a champ, up and over it. She climbed over the second root in record time. You go girl!
She was not going to let the geese get all the goodies – no way!
And what did she glean for her efforts? Some pita bread to go as you see below.
She was feeling pretty proud of herself and why do I think that? Well, my camera lens followed her back down the slope to the water, her bill clenched tightly on that yeasty tidbit, with a male Wood Duck, likely her mate, in hot pursuit. Was she going to share that treat with her main squeeze who flew over to meet her at the shoreline?
Nope. She waddled into the water and paddled away, with him still in pursuit of her … and a little pita bread. And, even as she paddled away, the pita bread was still clasped in her bill … “I mean, can’t a girl even enjoy a snack in peace?”
She gobbled down the treat, turned around and joined him – now, does he look a tad embarrassed for me having photographed this scenario?
This little lady was late to the party and waddled rather dejectedly down the slope toward the pond. Better luck next time!
Breaking bread at the pita bread party.
Perhaps you are wondering “now how does Linda know it is pita bread?” Well, here’s the scoop. It was because I was taking all these photos and chit-chatting with the man who was feeding the ducks and geese and, before I got to tell him that I feed the squirrels peanuts and have a similar following around my feet, he said “here, I got lots of pita bread – you want to feed them too – it will make you feel good!”
Yep, that kindred spirits thing … the kind that fell flat a few months later with the elderly lady feeding the squirrels near Elizabeth Park.
I thanked him and said I’d rather just watch and take more pictures, so he moved a bit closer so we could chat some more and “so you can get good pictures” and then he said “if you change your mind, let me know” … all too soon the bread was gone and we all went our separate ways. For me, it was pleasant conversation, fodder for a blog post, as well as a delightful ducky experience to replay in my mind during the dead of Winter.
If you’re gonna break bread, might as well do it with friends, right?
I am joining Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge “Feed the Birds”.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 