Quack, quack, quack. It was a noisy morning. Cornell Birds says that most ducklings depart the morning they hatch. The hen vocalizes 200 times per minute and then the march out begins. When I hear that type of noise, I head outdoors with my camera.
I watched them hop into the water, get in and out and in and out of the pond, sit in community with an Anhinga drying its wings, attempt to climb onto the pump ring, and swiftly react to Mama's alarm cry to avoid the swoop of a Red-Shouldered Hawk. The ducklings become endothermic at about 24 hours but cannot maintain their body temperature so they need brooding until they are about two weeks old. This means they stay close to Mama.
About the identity? I listen to Jimmy Wu Chao in the What's this bird? group. He says, "The overall mottled body contrasted with a pale neck and head is much more suggestive of a Mottled Duck. However, the speculum appears to show strong, white anterior + posterior edges, which is usually a more Mallard-y trait."
A few photos of this delightful morning.
