The Death Card

In life there are cycles.  Two obvious ones: life and death.  And life, as I understand it, is not exclusive to the human form, or animal form for that matter, but to all living creatures, beings, matter, space.

The ranch seemed lifeless when we first arrived over two years ago.  The apple tree did not blossom, I didn't even know it was a lilac tree outside the kitchen door, the pastures were dried and yellowed, there were no visible creatures calling the ranch home, the air felt stale and still.

Then, the next spring, the apple tree had so many blossoms I wondered if the delicate branches would be able to support the fruit.  One crisp morning I got a faint scent of lilac and saw so many buds on the tree.  And look! A pear tree beside it.  Then the families of Mallards arrived.  The Canada Geese came. The feral cats started poking out here and there and then claimed the hay shed and the barn as their homes.  The wild birds sang and darted about.  This place was alive and so vibrant.

With any life, the next cycle has rolled in.

The negativity, anger and vindictive actions of late have permeated and choked the life energy here.

The apple tree had no blossoms this spring.  The lilac tree was bare.  The pear tree made a grand effort.

My little Negrita, my sweet sweet cat, was hit by a car.  I still cry when I look in her bed just hoping it wasn't her.  Her absence has forever altered the patterns of the cats.  I used to look out my bedroom window in the morning and see Negrita, Lynxie and Graysin stretched out on the hay soaking up the rising sun.  At night, I would turn on the light and catch them playing a literal cat and mouse game.  Now, I look out and all I see is hay.

Lynxie and Graysin stop in here and there, but the less than feral attitude has diminished.  I hardly see my Rayito, Little Grays and Twin who call the barn home.

The pond has taken on this incredible algae.  It has covered the pond surface like a bad color choice of carpet from the late 60s.  As it crept in, it pushed the Mallards out.  Now, the pond is surrounded by very tall prickly weeds, and topped with a chartreuse cushion.  Lifeless.

The Mallards used to follow me out to the pasture or up to the dry lot, "quack quack quack," they'd tell me.  Always saying they were ready for food.  It's remarkable to go from 50+ ducks throughout the day to none.  Not one. Not one true duck quack.

The pasture started drying up and browning because the water had been cut off.  Pickings were slimming down for the horses and goats.  The good blue grass was being overtaken by the noxious weeds.

The raised beds of the former vegetable garden became a garden of assorted weeds and undesirable grasses.

The round pen is Pippin's favorite place to escape to at night because his height falls just below that of the weeds and he can browse in stealth mode.  No horse activity in that pen.

Thankfully, the water was turned on again a few days ago and I started watering vigorously.  It's impressive how the combination of a little water and the bright Central Oregon sunshine can make anything grow in no time.  The growing season may be short, but it grows!  The pasture is greening.  The goats are wandering more.

With the rotation of water, I noticed the algae is shifting.  You would be stretching it to say it is going away; however, there are a few open spaces of water on the surface.

This evening as I was out feeding, I saw one Mallard hen sitting on the plank to the duck house in the center of the pond.  She had no companion.  Just her.  I called to her but she didn't respond.  A decoy? Her mood rang nostalgic.  It was as if she came to visit her former home just one last time.  As if she couldn't comprehend the "Do Not Enter" vibe of the abundant green foam.

I put out some food for her, and the chickens who followed me in.  I never saw her swim to the shore.  I never saw her fly away.  I looked and she was gone.

Drakes in Eclipse

The local feed store is like a quick and easy trip to the reference section of the library.  They seem to know quite a bit about everything.

A couple of weeks back, Bill was loading feed into the 4 Runner, which was carefully guarded by cookie loving dogs, and we got to talking about his duck hunting.  Hunting of any kind isn't my favorite topic but I'm starting to understand the "food for the family" aspect.

I mentioned to Bill that all of my male Mallards, the drakes, have disappeared.  For some reason I have a pond loaded with females, hens.  He laughed.  "No," he said, "you have just as many drakes as before."

Drakes in eclipse is what I had plenty of in my pond.  After mating season, the drakes molt and lose their beautiful colorful plumage.  The look just like the hens!  Now, a real duck person can tell the difference.  Thankfully, I can now consider myself a "real" duck person.

Bill told me to look at their bills.  Drakes have yellow bills and hens have brownish/orange bills.  Their feet also are a clue.  The drakes have bright orange feet.  Sure as the day is long, I have a pond with a healthy mix of drakes and hens!

In the last week or so the drakes have begun to get their colors back.  It happens rather quickly.  Now, aside from a few late bloomers, their heads are a magnificent shimmering green once again. 

What a funny thing that happened at my pond.  It's another lesson learned.  It just doesn't stop.

The Duck Situation

The duck situation needs a little updating.

As you know, I picked up 2 eggs a few weeks back. After reading about federal law and that the Mallard doesn't sit on her eggs until she has laid her full clutch, it made sense to return the eggs to her nest. I checked on her nest every day as she added an additional egg. She was up to 6 eggs!

The next morning I went out to admire the arrival of number 7 and found that some critter had raided her nest and eaten the eggs! Just a mess of shells on the ground.

Calcium devastation: destruction of 6 precious eggs and the calcium she depletes herself of as she lays her clutch. Honestly, I'm not cut out for the occasional cruelty of nature.

She started another nest with one egg. I thought I was doing the right thing by trying protect the egg and I put a bucket over it at night. I ran out at 7am the next morning to remove it so she could add her next egg. She didn't.

I guess she wanted to lay before I got out there, so she has abandoned that nest. For a few days I searched for her new nest but couldn't find where she was laying. I thought maybe she had given up.

Then the other day, I was out looking around...surely there has to be another nest somewhere. There are at least 20 female Mallards and our 4 domestic females. Someone has to be laying!

I found two new nests in a thick of cut tree branches. As of this morning, one nest has 5 eggs and the other has 3. But here's the thing, 1 of those 3 looks white like a domestic duck egg. So, if this is the case, whose nest is it? Who will sit on the eggs? If it's the Mallard, will she accept the domestic duck?

Lesson learned: I must admire from afar. No touching. No protecting. But there is that 1 lone egg that still sits up by the pond in the once bucketed nest.

I think when her nest has at least 8 eggs, I'll add that loner. I do believe it's hers.

Oh, and we did get 1 white domestic egg sitting on the ground by the pond. Those we can eat.

What is the Fine?

As you may recall, we have a rather healthy wild Mallard population taking residence at our irrigation pond--strike that--duck pond. All but about 4 fly off each evening but they are back here bright and early the following day.

Yesterday I was walking the perimeter of the pond and came across a duck egg! Our first duck egg. And I had no idea from which duck it came. I picked it up and brought it in.

Not quite knowing what to do with a duck egg, I started my internet research on duck eggs (I sure do miss pulling out a hard-bound encyclopedia, but I think this time, the internet may have served me well.)

First, the blue green egg is from the Mallards. A wild Mallard? Or our domestic Mallard, Mallory? They lay their eggs in ground nests, which in our case is a burrowed hole. This is impressive as ducks have webbed feet, not talons like a chicken or claws like a cat or dog.

Then this morning I found another egg. I wasn't sure if I just overlooked it last night or if it was from this morning.

After scooping horse poop for 2 hours, I came in to eat and I continued my internet reading.

Second, in the UK it is illegal to cull wild Mallard eggs. Gulp. What about Oregon?

Third, the shells of duck eggs are thinner than chicken eggs so the eggs tend to be flavored with the surroundings and possibly with the diet of the layer. So would that make these duck eggs sweet grass flavored? Hen crack flavored? Or with the taste of whatever more the duck eats when not eating at my pond?

Fourth, they say that because the shell is thinner, the risk of salmonella is present. So wash that egg nice and good!

Fifth, most research talks about incubating the eggs. Yes, duck eggs are fine to eat it seems, but incubating seems to be very popular.

Sixth, a clutch of Mallard eggs is 8-12 eggs and they lay one brood a year. Have I just reduced that number to 6-10?! Incubation is 24 - 28 days.

Seventh, our other domestic ducks, Blue Swedish, lay white eggs. I now am sure the eggs I collected are not from Fletcher or Max--well because they are drakes-- nor from Tuxedo Tina, aka Tuxey, Diana, nor Sophia.

Now I am in a pickle. What do I do with the two eggs I culled from the pond? Do we add them to our chicken eggs and eat them? I think I'm too late to incubate them. I can't really return them to the pond, can I?

And do I leave any new eggs that are laid? What about predators that eat duck eggs, such as cats (with the good quality feed these feral kitties get, I hope they wouldn't go after the duck eggs,) raccoons, dogs (they'd be in big trouble with momma,) birds of prey, fox, coyote, etc. We have these critters around.

I've been working on getting Larry to build a proper duck laying house that sits out over the pond. This would help protect them from predators, but can the ducks dig a nest inside a house?

I guess I have to let nature take care of itself on this one. Upon further research, I have discovered that I am in violation and would be in further violation of federal law if I intervene.

Shhhhhhh, please don't tell.

Check out this website: www.wildliferehabber.com/modules/wildlifesection/item.php?itemid=7