I have been feeling stressed. I figure you may be feeling stressed also. Instead of talking about gender, or language, or respect, this week, I offer you cute duck pictures.
I like to go outside to decompress my mind and body. Watching birds is a big part of that. I especially appreciate watching ducks. It makes me happy to see them foraging, socializing, and being waterproof.
Ducks primarily hang out with those of their own species, but not always. Mallards interbreed with some closely related species like American Black Ducks. You can tell because the curly tail feathers are characteristic of having some mallard genes, whether or not the duck has the male green color.
Ducks, like humans, form social groups that aren’t necessarily about making babies. Ducks will cluster together for safety, support, and companionship. Even if they annoy each other some of the time, it’s still better to be in a pair or group than solo.
One of my favorite duck families was a group of two white ducks and one mallard. These three hung out with each other for over an hour as I ate a picnic dinner in the park, and seemed bonded together.
Ducks will even consider you part of their social group if you sit there calmly long enough. They may settle down to sleep with you nearby, trusting you to raise the alarm if anything happens nearby.
I am a fan of ducks (if it isn’t obvious). I was excited to visit the famous duck statue in Boston this summer from the children’s book, Make Way For Ducklings. I was wearing a “Support Trans Media” t-shirt to celebrate Pride weekend.
Ducks can walk, fly, swim, and dive.
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Too many duck photos? Nah. Lean into it.
Thanks so much for reading!
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Take care,
Rey
I needed this today! That picture of you with the duck statue is so cute. I love this positivity in my inbox!!
I love ducks! That is such a fun picture of you with the duck statue. Thanks for sharing all the pics. I can feel my blood pressure lowering as I look at them. 😉