[mou] Diving Mallards

[Steve Weston]

About four or five years ago we had a family of Mallards, where six of the 
seven ducklings would regularily dive to feed.   We watched as they grew, 
but I don't remember whether all of the six continued diving as they got 
older.


Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN
sweston2@comcast.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Sirvio" <lmsirvio@comcast.net>
To: "MOU" <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu>; "Mike Reiter" <mikesal@frontiernet.net>
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 5:42 PM
Subject: [mou] Diving Mallards


> 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
>
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