Why Ducks Live Near Water

A snowmaker moved into the Pacific Northwest last night, coating everything with a thick layer of white.  It would have been the perfect morning to snuggle under the covers, but my cell phone began buzzing just ahead of 5 a.m.  It was my son, phoning from sunny Santa Cruz.  Given the weather conditions, he'd decided to delay his return home by a day.  Can't say that I blame him.

The white stuff always means extra work, but it's a beautiful time as well.  I took some time to snap a couple of photos.

Putting the Horses Out

Drifty in the Snow

When it came time to rinse down the duck run and restock the feed, water, and vitamins, I decided to bring my video camera.  For the past few weeks, there have been small wild birds -- usually Oregon Juncos -- in the pen and I wanted to share the experience with you.

It didn't quite happen how I had planned, though.  I filmed the snow on my truck, Sombra in her dog run, and the duck run, which was -- even in the chain link regions -- coated with several inches of snow.  When I opened the door to the pen, there stood my three Indian Runner girls but no juncos.  Click on this link to see my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUcI52oi62E

Switching off my camera, I wondered why no small birds?  By this point in time, the runners were flailing through the snow and it was very slow going.  Come see by clicking on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BvZZYAL7Uc

As I watched the ducks struggle through the snow, it became clear why most wild ducks live near bodies of water.  If a duck has to make a quick getaway, doing so through snow is a little like running through quicksand.  On water, a duck has the advantage.  The girls finally made their way to the base of a large Hemlock tree, a snow free, grassy area where they swiftly commenced shoveling for slugs and bugs.

Feeling like I had some great footage, I took my camera to the garage and left it on the generator before filling up the ducks' feed dish.  When I returned to the run, there were probably ten juncos flitting back and forth across the enclosure.  Talk about a jaw-dropping moment.  Later, when I shared the strange experience with my husband, he provided some very good insight.

The snow had indeed coated the chain link portions of the run, creating an igloo-like environement and making it impossible for the juncos to squeeze through the links.  Amazing.