Lena’s ducks

Every couple of weeks we visit Brett’s aunt Lena that lives in a nursing home. The property is really nice and includes a small duck pond. We take her around the pond and sit on the bench watching the ducks swim around. I recently saw a redhead duck there all alone among the mallards.

These four ducks always stay close together.

Someone has been feeding them because as soon as we sat down, they came out of the water and right up to us.  They were looking for a snack which we didn’t have. Other than the one that kept banging on my shoe when I wasn’t looking,  they were pretty docile. All of these were taken with my phone.

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Lots of the same at Chesnut Park

Lots of deer in early January.

Lots of squirrels but that bottom looks a little rough.

Lots of little birds but nothing new.

Red shoulder hawks hiding along the trails.

Eagles flying far away across the lake. Both an adult and a juvenile.

Found these two ducks at a quiet end of a pond. I’m thinking they are pets that got dumped here. Someone left food in a small plastic container. I just hope they know enough to stay away from the gators.

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Ducks and geese at Crescent Lake Park

DSC_2634 DSC_2652Why was the muscovy duck in the tree?  Looking for bugs?  A place to nest?

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After a long rain, the ducks were taking a bath in a puddle in the street.

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A few of the geese at the lake. The one hiding was sitting on eggs.

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Baby moorhens at all ages.

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A distinguished face.

The muscovy ducks and geese are very aggressive at Crescent Lake Park. People have been feeding them for years so they are all very fat and happy. I stay far away and take pictures with my zoom lens. If you get too close without food, they will attack. If they have babies, they will attack.  If they are napping, they will attack. Lesson here is to stay away from the wildlife.

Duck action at Lake Morton

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An unusual looking hybrid.  Looks like a cross between a mallard and a muscovy duck.

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A baby mallard in December!

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A coot and a gull fighting over bread that someone threw in the lake.

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Duck butts!

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A lone female bufflehead. Not a common duck here.

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A ring neck duck taking a bath.

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Drying off.

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I cannot figure out what kind of duck this is.  Is it a hybrid of some sort? I’ve only seen one at the lake. That pink beak and the pink legs are amazing as well as the eyes.

I found out today that this is a Coscoroba swan. It is the smallest of all swans and comes from South America.  The city of Lakeland bought a pair for the lake last January. At this point there is only one at the lake.

There are so many different ducks at Lake Morton in downtown Lakeland. They are known for having swans on the lake but there are a lot more ducks there and so many different ones. It’s fun just to walk around and look at all the duck action going on.

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