Patty Kimm Gallery #2 - Casper and the Mallards

Larry & Patty's cat, Casper, would like to befriend the Mallards

The Mallards snub Casper and head into the bay

There are apparently lots of tasty snacks for the Mallards here.

This appears to be Mallard nirvana

One of Bay Hill Conservancy's missions is to provide education about our our flora and fauna. Since Patty has generously shared her Mallard pictures, the least I can do is offer some Mallard Facts. You can check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Mallard page by clicking the link provided and learn even more, but here are some "Cool Facts" Cornell offers:

"The Mallard is the ancestor of nearly all domestic duck breeds (everything except the Muscovy Duck). Many of the domestic breeds look like the wild birds, but usually are larger. They are variable in plumage, often lacking the white neck ring or having white on the chest. Feral domestic ducks breed with wild Mallards and produce a variety of forms that often show up with wild ducks, especially in city parks.

Mallard pairs are generally monogamous, but paired males actively pursue forced extra-pair copulations. Copulation between members of a pair usually takes place in the water after a long bout of elaborate displays. Forced copulations are not preceded by displays, and several males may chase a single female and mate with her.

Mallard pairs form long before the spring breeding season. Pairing takes place in the fall, but courtship can be seen all winter. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings."

Hm.

BTW, I can't explain why Blogger messes up my paragraph spacing. It just does sometimes.