Overcast, temps-high 30s, breezy
One of our local ponds is not dissimilar from most other bodies of fresh water in that you can always count on at least a small population of Mallards to be present. I thought today might be different in that we have had several nights of rather severe cold with temperatures in the low teens to single digits. The ducks need open water to feed, and once the ponds are iced over, the mallards move on in search of ice-free water elsewhere. "Elsewhere" usually means areas of wider expanses of water such as the Hudson River or areas where the water is moving such as the outlet of a stream into a larger body of water.
Well, today the Mallards were still content to sit it out at Roe Pond in spite of the fact that this body of water was close to 99% iced over. But….there is an inlet into the pond where an area of about 8 X 5 feet was open. Whether or not the area was large enough to supply vegetation for the 8 ducks that were present is another story, however. Each and every car that pulled in to park for a look at the lake drew a crowd. The ducks quickly left their little pool and waddled over to the car, waiting for a handout. Obviously, folks often pull into the lot with scraps of bread for the little beggars and they know a good thing when they see it. If the car windows remained shut and no offering was made by the drivers, however, the ducks were quick to return to their quarters and wait for the next vehicle to pull in. If you look closely towards the end of the video clip, however, one pair of mallards decided to take advantage of their "time alone".
It happened so quickly, however, that by the time the first duck began to return to the pool, the love-birds were all finished and acting as if nothing at all had taken place. Ah, winter, and love is in the air.
The weather promises to get warmer over the next couple of days and the thin skim of ice will quickly disappear, opening up the water once again and allowing the ducks free reign over their dominion,
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