This mated pair of mallards returns to the above Greensboro swimming pool every spring to swim and hang out. As you can see, the pool has not yet been opened for the season. These dabbling ducks are walking around on the pool cover, trying to figure how to get to the water underneath. Maybe they'll stop back once the pool is open. According to Wikipedia, 45 species of ducks, geese, and waterfowl have been recorded in North Carolina. The mallard is the main ancestor of the majority of breeds of domesticated ducks.*
Mallards are known for being adaptable and eating just about anything. They are comfortable being around humans, they are at times considered an invasive species. Females can lay up to half their body weight in eggs. Here they are in happier times, a few years ago, when the swimming pool was all theirs. How do you mark spring? What do you enjoy seeing out your window every year?
*"Anas platyrhynchos (On-line), Digital Morphology". The University of Texas at Austin. 2004.
Cute pair!
For me, spring means tulips.
Posted by: William Kendall | Sunday, May 14, 2017 at 08:17 AM