Old Crow

Fishing...Mallard Style

There are a lot of pictures for this post, but this particular event went on for so long that I had to use more photos than usual to adequately cover it. And these are only some of the pictures.

A mallard drake had a fish which, unfortunately, he dropped in the midst of some other ducks. A hen quickly scooped it up and that began a ten minute one-duck comedy act. It was one of the darnedest things I've seen in a long time! She would fly from the ice to the open water. Then she'd fly back onto the ice. Then back into the water. She got stuck momentarily one time trying to get back on the ice. At one point, she dropped the fish on the ice and when she tried to grab it, the fish slid around like a hockey puck. Then it was back into the water where she dropped it again and had to dive for it. Then she was back on the ice. In one photo, you can see where she has the fish in position to swallow it, but she doesn't. I think she was so worried about one of the other ducks stealing it that she wouldn't stop long enough to just gulp it down and be done.

Finally, after waddling, swimming, and flying around like she was jacked up on Mountain Dew and Pixie Sticks, she flew off and landed in open water away from the other ducks to eat the silly fish in peace.

Here is where she first picked up the fish after it was dropped by the drake on the ice.

This was the first time she got in the water.

Here she decided to get out of the water and back on the ice and got stuck briefly in the process.

At this point, she lost the fish and was trying to pick it back up, but it kept sliding around.

She finally managed picked it up again and decided to head back to open water.

Back on the ice.

Now back in the water where she drops it again and has to go after it.

And back on the ice.

Yup, back in the water.

How about we do the ice one more time?

FINALLY, (cue "Hallelujah Chorus" music here) she decided to fly off away from the other ducks and finish the hockey puck/football/fish once and for all.

Linking to World Bird Wednesday