The Duck Hunter
I was hunted by a mallard on a retaining pond.
The Duck Hunter.
I live in a suburban setting. Our house looks onto a retaining pond and a highway. I like to go to our fence and watch for wildlife on the retaining pond.
This retaining pond is full of wildlife. We see killdeer, mallards, geese, bullfrogs, and snapping turtles. On one occasion, as I was looking at the pond, I suddenly found myself being hunted. A mallard stared me down as it started to swim toward me. It was on a mission.
The Male Mallard Is A Drake.
As it swam, it had this curious, determined look. It fearlessly came toward me. It came on shore with a determination to finish its hunt.
The Mallard.
As it approached, it crouched in the grass and continued its Mallard stare. I felt as though I were prey for the mallard. However, after the initial encounter, the mallard stared at me with curiosity. It then turned and returned to the retaining pond to swim and feed.
The Determined Look of The Mallard Hunter
I captured the mallard's natural movements, which show its magnificence. Seeing a Mallard in action…on a retaining pond in a suburban setting was an opportunity to capture suburban wildlife in action.
The Mallard’s Curiosity.
“The male mallard duck, called a drake, sports a glossy green head, a white ring around its neck and a rich, chestnut-brown breast. The mottled brown female mallard looks downright dull next to the male's showy feathers.
The mallard duck's outer feathers are waterproof, thanks to oil that’s secreted from a gland near the tail. Beneath this tightly packed waterproof layer of feathers lies a soft, warm layer of feathers called down. Twice a year, mallards molt, or shed, their flight feathers, temporarily grounding the birds for several weeks until the feathers grow back.” National Geographic Kids
You can see how the mallard's waterproofing works as it feeds. The water beads up on the surface of the feathers in little droplets. After his hunt, this Mallard happily searched for food in the pond, joined by a female.
The Mallard Feeding.
Suburban areas are full of wildlife, as evidenced by these mallards. I enjoy watching suburban wildlife in action; it is abundant. The retaining pond is a gathering point for wildlife, giving photographic opportunities to capture wildlife in different and unique ways. All you have to do is look and enjoy. For example, this female mallard was taking flight from the retaining pond. She is an example of the natural beauty that is around us…even on a retaining pond next to a busy suburban street.
It Is Time To Go. Female Mallard Takes Flight.