Geese at Peace

 Lake Murray has a sizeable population of geese, and they don't always get around. One particular mean gander was the first gander to raise babies there. He bites other goslings that aren't his and attacks his own, sometimes viciously, when they are almost a year old.  Not long ago, the coyotes killed him. At the time, he had three almost-grown goslings. 

The rest of this family went from the highest-ranking family to the bottom. Fortunately, the goslings were only a couple of weeks away from flying, so they were OK. However, one thing I noticed is that the entire flock seemed more peaceful. I am not saying that no one nipped or chased anyone, but they seemed calmer and quieter. I even made a video about it.

Currently, most of this year's flock are doing "flying lessons." Therefore, many of them are not at the lake. One gosling is still too young to fly. 

Babba, the domestic gander, attached himself to a family with four goslings. He and the gander were buddies, but Babba didn't like the mom. Now that they are of flaying age, they have left him alone. He sometimes tries to hang out with the last young gosling, but I don't think the parents are putting up with him.

You may see the geese come and go at this time. However, they will rarely stay in one place all day. 

About Leucistic Mallards

 At Lake Murray in San Diego, I've seen several leucistic-type mallards over the years. When I say leucistic, I mean true wild ducks with a lack of color. Lake Murray has also had its share of dumped domestic buff and khaki Campbell ducks with light coloring. These are not leucistic mallards.

Bossy Girl is a domestic buff  

If you are unsure if you are looking at a domestic buff duck versus a wild leucistic mallard, consider these guidelines:

• Domestic ducks often cannot fly or fly well

• Domestic ducks usually have a longer and bulkier build

• Many domestic duck breeds lack special speculum feathers

• Leucistic mallards are shaped and sized the same as wild mallards

• Leucistic mallards often have blue speculums, though it depends on which color they lack

• Leucistic mallards fly just as well as any other mallard

A few domestic duck breeds can fly very well, but they often differ from wild mallards in other respects.

Leuci II is a great example of a wild leucistic mallard. Currently, she is about four years old. The original leuci lived for 10 years before she passed. Leuci II is about four years old. In my research, I have found at least one expert says that leucistic mallard feathers are more prone to damage. However, that doesn't seem to have any effect lifespan of the ducks here.

Leuci II is a full wild mallard

Both Lecuis were successful at breeding and producing normal-colored ducklings. However, original Leuci was not a good mother and never successfully raised a duckling to adulthood. Leuci II, however, has been successful. So far, it is unknown if that leucistic gene has been passed on to her grand-babies. However, several other ducks at the lake lack certain colors in their feathers, so it's possible.

The Lake Is Reopening Soon

Lake Murray has been closed and blocked off to exercisers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there have been a few people who have broken past the barriers, it means that the domestic ducks likely haven't been fed for a while. I got one report that some of the ducks have begun to die off because they haven't been fed. From Baltimore Drive,  I've been checking on the three white ducks and notice that there are now two of them. I will try to go in by the end of this week to see how many domestic ducks are left.

One wild duck that people are concerned about is Broken Bill with the smashed up bill. Last time I saw him, though,  he seemed to be OK, fairly robust, and hanging out with the other wild ducks. I think he may have been foraging on his own with natural food. I took this picture of him last October.

On the positive side, the lack of people meant less harassment of the nesting Canada geese. They've sure been quiet. Last week,  I think I saw a mama duck with a brood of ducklings, too. I hope to see more of them, plus the goslings, later this week or whenever the lake opens back up. Last I've heard it wasn't going to open up until May 1st, but that could be pushed back.

Update at Lake Murray

Sorry that it's been so long! I don't go to the lake as regularly as I usually do. The lake is full of geese and goslings now! Weird thing is that they don't creche there and many of the families fight.  I found this little guy all by himself with no other goslings his age. I took him to Project Wildlife a few weeks ago and haven't heard anything since.

More goslings from this season, including two very large families. One family has managed to retain and raise seven goslings almost to adulthood.

Geese are so fun and Canada geese are the best.

There have been several common gallinule chicks hatched at the lake from this one female. It appears that the female does everything. There is no sign of the male at all.

And, of course, ducklings. Unfortunately, I was gone for a while and didn't see a whole lot of ducklings. However, I did see a few broods have ducklings make it to flying age.

Updates and Alaska Trip

I've been very busy lately,  but I did take some bird pictures. I haven't been keeping a whole lot of track of the ducks at the lake. Several have gone missing. For example, I haven't seen the puffy-headed pekin and his girlfriend for a while. Also, we've had several really young ducklings dumped which didn't make it. There are a couple of new domestic ducks, too, including a Muscovy hybrid (Mulard).

New Moulard at the Lake

Miss Half-Face showed up again this year with what looks like a bad infection. I'm not sure, but I think someone finally caught her. I haven't seen her in a while.

Miss Half-Face

Also,  I went to Cordova, Alaska for their Copper River Delta shorebird festival. Here are some of the pictures I took of the town and the birds. Most of the birds were the same as they are around San Diego, but in their breeding colors.

Mount Eyak

Not sure which mountain this is.

Hartney Bay with geese

Greater white-fronted geese

Off the Henly Trail

Henly Trail easy part

Western and least sandpiper with a few dunlin

Snow geese

Whimbrels and peeps

Hartney Bay in the mountin

Hartney Bay in the evening

Bald eagle hanging out in the neighborhood

At the lake,  two broods of Canada geese have arrived so far. There's been a few broods of ducklings, but not a whole lot. Grey Babba seems to have taken a new wife, but she has a wandering eye, so I am not sure if that marriage is going to last.

Blonde duck also has a new dumped girlfriend of his very own.

Random Rambles and Pictures

I just thought that, since I have't posted in a while, that I would post a few random updates.

I saw Pepper the duck a couple of weeks ago at Lake Murray. He'll be 7 this year.

Several ring-necked ducks are also at Lake Murray right now.

Remember Snowie and Snowy's duckling, Uno? Well, he's back with his girlfriend. He's less red now, but still looks a lot like his mom and dad.

This new gray duck was dropped off the lake a few months ago. She's doing well so far. I think we also had a new female Pekin, but something happened to her.

Fat little spotted sandpiper is spending the winter at the lake.

Here's a sunset photo from Lake Murray in November.

I went to the Southeast Arizona bird festival last August. I got some OK pictures. Here's what I think is a Laconte's Thrasher at the Payton Center for Hummingbirds.

Lots of White-winged doves there, too.

And, of course, hummingbirds. I saw several species there. Here are two different kinds right here.

I was also at the Salton Sea last weekend. Not much going on there, though. No ducks or pelicans.

Ring-billed gulls flying by:

Stilts, too, and a couple killdeer, but not much else.

Final Duckling Report

I'm sorry that I haven't been updating lately as I've been so busy that personal projects have been put aside. I have a ton of photos which haven't been processed yet, including several bird pictures from my trip to a bird festival in Tucson.  In the meantime, I have a few duckling photos from the last of this year's ducklings.

I would have to say that, in terms of survivors, this year has been a great duckling season, except for July. I didn't see a single duckling hatched in late June or July survive, though a few might have in areas that I couldn't reach.

I think in my last post on July 7th, I mentioned this orphaned duckling and the mom who lost all of her ducklings. Well, the duckling finally bonded to this mama. I saw both of them for a few more days before they disappeared. I think the mama took him to a safer place. I am not sure if he made it adulthood, but if he did, he may be the only one to do so.

This mother duck had 13 ducklings to begin with. She hung around the boat docks and was doing really well with her ducklings and managed to keep most of them alive for at least two weeks.

Then, unfortunately, a coyote or dog attacked her and her ducklings, ripped off part of her face and damaged her eye. The eye is still there, but severely damaged. She then began to lose ducklings until, after almost three weeks, none were left.

I saw the mama duck for a couple of weeks after this and she was healing up very well and showed no signs of affliction except she had to compensate for not being able to see on that side. She was even flirting with the males. Unfortunately, I haven't seen her for almost a month now and don't know if she just moved off to a new area of passed away.

The adopted duckling with the older sibling grew up and are really tight best friends. The adopted one is a female and the other one is a male and go everywhere together.

Here is the female one, still friendly.

The other duckling that was raised separate by another female became independent really early and left her mom on her own.

A new mother duck with four ducklings showed up. She looked like one of Miss Una's relatives.

A fifth duckling from her brood was hatched later at someone's house, so the person at that house released him at the lake. However, she released him to wrong mother who attacked him. That mama had an independent duckling and the new duckling bonded to him and was glued to him for a long time. 

Then, he began to follow any adult duck he could find, even the males. I had a feeling that he was part of the mom with four above, so I used his following the other ducks to an advantage. I pretended I was throwing food out to get all the ducks to follow me towards the other mother duck (who was actually coming up from the other end of the beach area). 

The mother duck went up tot he duckling, who wasn't sure about her at first, and he seemed to brace for an attack. However, she began clucking at him and he blended in with the other ducklings. He seemed just fine when I left as seen in this photo. Unfortunately, the next day, I only saw four ducklings in that brood, again, but I think he was still with her.

 Unfortunately, none of those ducklings survived. Here is the mom with her last one, whom, I am almost certain, is the one that was released. At least he lived his short life with a loving wild duck family.

There was one other duckling hatched in early July. He, too, was one of four who were doing very well until they started disappearing. This is his last photo taken in late July when he was almost a month old. Someone told me they saw a mama duck with a young duckling in an area that is difficult to get to, but I never saw him again and I thought I saw his mama alone. I am hoping that she just took him elsewhere.

As of the end of July, there were no young ducklings left, however there were a few older ones around that may have been either ones that were raised in other parts of the lake, or Project Wildlife releases.