Re: Ducklings These ones will be too big to fly. If they really try they can get half a metre off the ground for a very short distance - it's more of an ungainly, semi-controlled leap with wild wing beating than 'flying'. Some breeds of domestic duck do fly - Muscovies (a different species) and bantam ducks like domestic Mallards and Call Ducks.
Re: Ducklings No flying??? Yet another thing I didn't know. Good thing they have big feet, then! ;D Still basking in Temeraire's quack - atta girl!!
Re: Ducklings Yep, she's quacking away like a little quacking champion Tub 'o ducklings. They are soon going to get to the point at which they can't all fit in this together... Good thing they've still got their big pool! Here they are waiting for it to be filled up with clean water. I collected a few feathers that the grown-up drakes have dropped to show you the different colours. They are a bit faded and tatty, because they are 'last season'. On the left is a Silver feather, in the middle a Blue and on the right a Black. You can see how worn the black one is. It would not be very waterproof any more. The waterproof qualities come from the tiny 'zippers' that hold the feather filaments together, creating a smooth barrier. The Black and Blue feathers in particular have lost their 'zippyness', meaning that it's time to throw out the old and bring in the new.
Re: Ducklings Both! I noticed it this morning, though I've been expecting it for a while. I had my suspicions last week but then became unsure. But it's now definite! Hooray!
Re: Ducklings Christophina!History's mostly forgotten Portuguese naval explorer .... Ah that's a great result for your Rachael and I'm sorry I'm tardy in checking in and giving my congratulations to you and my honorary,temporary pet duckling ;D
Re: Ducklings And, Julie, I am also pleased to confirm that Harrison is also a girl Some definite baby quacks this morning.
Re: Ducklings [quote author=Oberon link=topic=3806.msg49945#msg49945 date=1390691062] And, Julie, I am also pleased to confirm that Harrison is also a girl Some definite baby quacks this morning. [/quote] O! I'm SO proud. Oh well done Harri. You lovely, lovely, silver girl, you! Yippeee! A silver girl. Well. That's something. I think a "focus on Harri" is appropriate...Christophina had one...
Re: Ducklings For you, Julie - Spotlight on Harrison. Harrison, like her mother, is a bit of a vocal lass. She likes having a human audience and doesn't approve when the audience walks away to get on with the rest of its life. When we walk Obi in the mornings we can hear a duckling screaming at the top of its lungs for a good 100m down the road. It's Harri. Not that you'd suspect it from this innocent face. Harri, like her siblings, will grow up to weigh about 2 to 2.5 kilos. That's too big for flying. This is about as close as Harri is ever going to get to being airborne. Puppies need to learn to be gentle with their mouths. Ducklings should probably have to learn the same thing. Especially Harri, seen here striving to separate me from a piece of my hand. It's kind of like being savaged by a clothes peg. http://flic.kr/p/jv9DLR Having failed, she settled in for a sit-down. So, that's Harrison. Accomplished diver, high-volume diva, biter and girl!
Re: Ducklings Savaged by a clothes peg? Sounds like a pretty gentle way to go... Next question for you, having watched you stroking Harri's beak... do they have nerve endings in their beaks? I mean, is like finger-nails, or sensitive in its own right?? Harri is beautiful. Clare
Re: Ducklings They are. The bigger ones are completely feathered underneath too. Will get a shot of Temeraire's tummy tomorrow. Clare, that is an outstanding question. Duck bills are packed with nerves. If you took away everything from a bill except the nerves, it'd still look like a duck bill. The tip of a ducks' bill also contains scent organs (like in your nose). They have detectors for electromagnetic radiation as well. A duck bill is a pretty amazing organ. It's covered in skin, and is a tiny bit rubbery. They enjoy having it stroked It calms them down.
Re: Ducklings Oooh, fascinating stuff. Much, much more than a tool for foraging then. You know my next question now - how do they use the electromagnetic information they collect? : Clare
Re: Ducklings It's for detecting live things (invertebrates) in the water or mud. They detect the tiny charge of electricity that all animals give out. Like a lot of bird species, they can also see the Earth's magnetic field. They use their eyes for that and perhaps other sensory organs, but exactly how is unknown. Also, and again like a lot of birds, they can focus each eye on objects at totally different distances. One eye can focus close up, foraging for food, while the other focuses on the horizon for predators.
