[mou] Diving Mallards

[Larry Sirvio]

Saw two young mallards this afternoon in a small drainage pond in the
parking lot of Rainbow in Cottage Grove. They were diving for food. I mean
they were diving like a real diver. I timed one of the dives - they were
completely submerged for 12 seconds! - and then reappeared 20-30 feet from
the point of entry. I know they were mallards because when I approached the
pond,  the hen mallard came out of some vegetation on the other side of the
pond and swam to her kids. They went to her right away.

Has anyone ever seen this kind of behavior? I actuall got out of my car
(unhappy motorists did not appreciate the traffic jam) to watch for a bit.
Larry Sirvio