I was under the impression that ducks flew south for the winter.
For years now I’ve wondered why some of the ducks around here don’t fly south with the rest. I always kind of chalked it up to the fact they hang around because they are well fed.
We are also right on the Mississippi river and there is a decent sized pond in one of the parks and they have a three foot circle of unfrozen water they hang out in.
But then I got to thinking it’s freakin’ cold here! I mean even if you are being well fed and entertained by humans wouldn’t you fly off to warmer places and come back in the spring?
I thought it was hardwired into them to flay away and I really didn’t think they were smart enough to make a decision to stay or go.
I live in the Quad Cities on the Iowa side for reference and it’s been really cold and the ducks have been moving so slow and it makes me feel sad for them for not just leaving.
My kids on the other hand are upset that the ducks hang out on the pond because that’s three less feet of the pond that they can ice skate or play hockey on.
Are you sure the ducks are the same in winter and summer? Perhaps the summer ducks do fly South, but the ducks from the North, more acclimated to cold, even in the summer, decided the prospect of food outweighed the benefits of spending all that time on the flight South. If they got used to that pattern when the typical winter was in the 30s F, a few years ago, then they might just see the sub-freezing temperatures as one more thing to accept once in a while.
I know that a few of the ducks are the same year round because of their markings. But I do get what you are saying about this area possibly being a warmer move for them.
Yes they are being fed but that was one of the things I was questioning.
I mean is the food worth hanging around the pond for in below zero temps?
At one point there was one duck that wasn’t really walking well. He had his legs under himself and was just kind of scooting himself along.
In central Illinois here we have ducks year 'round. They do get fed here, but I think not every species migrates. Some of them are domestic ducks that have escaped/been set free and they have interbred with the mallards until I’m sure they have no idea what they’re supposed to do in the cold weather.
As a general rule, ducks only move as far south as they have to to find open water/food. They’ll move north and south over the course of the winter as things freeze and thaw. There are many types of birds for which temperature does not appear to be an issue at all, and ducks are one of them.
Why are you questioning the motives of ducks? Haven’t you heard that you should not meddle in the affairs of ducks, as you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup?
I talked to one of the zoo keepers at the Lincoln Park Zoo (in Chicago) and asked her a similar question. She said as long as birds can find enough food, they rarely have trouble keeping warm. They simply find a small nook and crawl in and huddle together and that’ll keep them plenty warm.
It’s the food that’s critical. The colder it is the more food they need. So cold isn’t a big deal to most birds, cause they have lots of places to crawl in and keep warm, as long as they can get food.
In Chicago we have had a bitter winter and I still see robins hanging around. We definately have ducks and geese and all sorts of birds. Today was 50ºF (10º) and suddenly birds of all kind just “seemed” to have appeared out of no where.
They somehow have a good source of food and they were in their little hiding places keeping warm before then
:dubious::eek::o moment.