2 families continue to blend

George on his way to give the M6 dad "what for"

At sunset tonight, I went to check on George and his family and noticed that Shy and her dad were still in the area. It's still a little hard for me to tell exactly who was who because they often fluff up and puff out their chests when interacting with each other. But, as far as I could tell, the group tonight was made up of: George, Tiny, Killer, Shy, M6 Dad, and Firecracker. I think Martha came just as it got dark to take Firecracker back with her.

Shy is definitely interested in Killer and I've noticed her making displays to him and preening/bathing in his presence.

I think this is Killer (right) and Shy (left)

The M6 dad, I think, has taken a little bit of interest in Firecracker, but is mostly spending his time running from George and interacting with Tiny. So far, there has been no physical contact, mostly chasing, calls and puffing up.

I think this is the M6 dad (left) and George (right), but not sure if that's the M6 dad on the left.

Everything else seems fine, Shy got a feather stuck to her foot. It was funny to see her running around with it. But, she got it off eventually. All the ducks seem fine, even Tom the Muscovy duck is not scratching as much and his feathers look healthy. He even flew into the water, which is a good sign that he is feeling good.

It was very muddy by the lake and I actually got my foot totally stuck. I lost my shoes and had to dig them out of the mud. The killdeer's feet are better designed for the mud than mine, but they still had problems with sinking, I can see. But, not as much. I hope they don't get stuck in the mud, I don't want to see a dead killdeer there when I visit because one got stuck. But, I think they're not having that big a problem. Mostly, they avoid this spot or they fly before they get too stuck. I have to give them credit, they're not stupid. The only way I think they could get stuck is if they're forced to stand there a long time because of predatory activity.

Killdeer tracks in the mud