Duck Spans.

Ok, after being given a bit of info, and deciding it was time to research this myself, I went on the prowl, lurking in the darkest corners of Duck information. Stumbling from the stacks I found out, from various sources, ducks live to be 10-15 years old. Not duck years, cat year, or the ever so popular dog years. They are human years, and that is a long time.

It send my mind wandering, and rather quickly as my mind so often does, it came up with a lame joke about being long in the tooth, which obviously is just duck candor amongst friends. I say this because duck teeth aren't really teeth are they? They are more like tiny little scrubber pads, much like a fish. The are primarily used to grasp and hold things that are wriggly and moist, such as a worm.

But, all jokes and lessons aside...this duck of mine, Conner, is going to be living with, and as long as, Freya, most likely, since both are roughly the same age. Freya is slightly younger, almost a year, but that means Conner will be the senior adviser on staff when they run for neighborhood office.

It also means something else. A point a friend showed me, I don't have an angry old cuss. I have a mouthy...billy (since ducks have bills, come on people, I shouldn't have to explain all the jokes) teenager on my hands, full of pomp and pride, big quacks and short fuses. Oh he is going to be a joy for a while still. I wouldn't be surprised to see a major loss of feathers simply because he can't stop running his Bill at everything that walks in his general direction. Dogs, kids, some humans, squirrels, rabbits, birds, man my duck is a bully. Thank goodness Freya is here to keep him in check. His Green Lantern to Green Arrow, his Eric to Hyde, his Desi To Lucy, his...you guys get the point.

So world, here is to 10-15 long happy years.

Angry old cuss.

I'm not sure the life cycle of a duck, I mean living from start to finish. I certainly know about the life cycle when a stupid dog gets a hold of one. Jerk. But the full span, still not sure.

What does it matter, you ask? Well it matters in the sense that I think Conner is starting to reach old codger status. He hates when Freya gets near his water, his tree, and most of all his person...er...duck.

You see, a few months back I reported that Conner was tempered. Well that temperament is like hatred now, I think. Rarely goes a visit where he isn't instigating something. His favorite thing to do? Wait for Freya to turn her back, chase a stick, or just out right pee, then he will sneak up and nip her feet, pinch her ears, or grab onto that droopy bit of skin dogs have on their necks. Then the raucous begins. Feathers scattering, wings flapping, paws pounding, and two very set upon animals chasing.

Of course his feathers are in a constant state of ruffle, and his beak is showing ugly signs of wear and scratching, but he never stops, and Freya never gives and inch. To watch the two you'd think they hated each other, but from what I have seen there is no ill-will, or malevolence. Just constant picking.

It makes me wonder what Conner is playing at, because he likes to go on the back porch and chase the cat as well, who is so old and indifferent to him he just climbs higher than Conner can get. Cats and their aloof attitudes. God love 'em. Still he loves eating the cat food, and refuses worms as a dietary supplement. He will let you pet him, but only if cornered, and if you hold him long enough he will stop the crazed flapping and give you audience.

In fact writing all this now I don't think he is old...I think he might be a head strong twenty something looking for trouble...maybe one week here in the next year or so he will learn some stoicism and just stop being and aggressor.

Maybe.

Then again I could be out of my mind.

Oh, last I mentioned the eggs. They failed terribly in the hatchery. In fact Ms. Aslinger went and bought some feeling so guilty over a matter she could neither control or help. Still, Shannon took the ducks home with her, and I have still heard no reports good or bad, so maybe that is a good sign, maybe not. Who knows.

The kids are alright.

As you know Conner has been forced to be by himself, which no one ever wishes for, honestly. But, and this is a big fat Sir Mix-a-lot type but, I think the loneliness has helped him. It has calmed him. Tempered him. He is still feisty, you can't remove that from him, but he has become less of the sentry and more of the duck.

He no longer lurks about looking for a predator to banish, now he just attempts to play with what he sees. Birds usually die, and yes, he kills birds. Chipmunks run, and squirrels are now very weary of my backyard. His new friend, Freya, my lab, has become a nice little way to expend some of his energy, as seen below.






In other news we are at that time of the school year where we are hatching ducks again, as I previously spoke of, and here is an image of the eggs, eighteen of them, in their incubator.



I will keep you all up to date as this story develops...in about ten days.