Duck Log #6

Just sharing this wonderful interview about duck sex and human evolution. Enjoy!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/ornithologist-richard-prum-on-duck-sex-and-human-evolution-a-1151217.html

Duck Log #5

Dear Daily Duck,

We are gathered here today to feel the suffering of the intense, withered faced North American Muscovy duck hens that sit on their eggs to only hatch maybe one or two, as most of the eggs will roll away and be eaten by predators.

Those cuties don't stand a chance.

Oh yeah! I intended to start off by saying that......

Chicken Duck wrote me a letter recently!!!!! Want to know what was inscribed on it?!

Dear Earthling of Planet Earthdom,

I will eat you for breakfast, lunch, aaaaaannnd dinner. It will be the most delectable delight that any unborn duckling could ever deliberately and disdainfully dream of..before it has reached its true demise. Muahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. And more evil laughs. Oh yes..ahahaha.

Yours truly,

Chicken Duck

....

Oh d-d-d-dear. I thought Chicken Duck was supposed to be a super hero...or a good guy? Or some masked crusader who will come flying in and land on my stoop in Portland to visit me from time to time. Not some bloody lusty, cackling creature of the night! All I can think of is blood dripping from his chops..I mean beak. Like ooze, slowly revealing a coagulated coat of hemoglobin wonders. Oh dear is right. Chicken Duck has turned to the Dark Side!

I need to go stretch this stress out! I started flexibility class with the goal to one day do the splits again.

Until we meet again, Daily Duckers. Stay safe out there. Ravenous ducks could be hiding behind any corner or bush.

Sincerely yours,

The Daily Duck

Duck Log #4

Dear Daily Duck,

I have 4 muscovy boys (my first ducks) and I have a question. When they are wagging their tails and hissing, are they happy or mad? They are going thru puberty right now (chasing and mounting each other) and I just wonder when I enter the pen and they start wagging and hissing are they happy to see me or is it inclined to think they are happy to see me - but I though I'd ask.

I also see them hissing and wagging at each other (especially around the duck pool) so it may also be a sort of "whatch out- I'm tough-don't mess with me".

So are they happy or giving me a warning that I'm ignoring?

Thanks,

aee96
from backyardchickens.com

Dear aee96,

Your ducks are not angry. In fact, this is what they do when they are extremely happy. The hissing is their form of communication, and they are saying things like "take me to your leader" and "back on our home planet, these weird upright creatures would be our dinner". The wagging is an earlier form of communication that summons sonar waves to come and enhance their telepathic communication with the other muscovys.

Is that helpful?

Sincerely yours,

The Daily Duck

Duck Log #3

The Muscovy duck is a very docile, placid, and slow moving creature if not threatened. They are notorious for squirting their droppings as a form of defense, and never enjoy being picked up and cuddled.

Chicken Duck. Ohhhh Chicken Duck. Oh where is my Chicken Duck. I want to love on you! I look at you in a photo hanging on my wall in a golden frame oh so longingly. I wonder if your space ship came and scooped you up. If you are now running in circles with a string attached to Mercury and making it spin in the opposite direction. Oh dear, Chicken Duck, your gravitational forces are just so strong.

Really, I think Chicken Duck was there, and I just couldn't see through his invisible suit. Next time I go to Florida (which I can only hope will not be anytime soon) I will look for little aloof friend.

In other words, the story where this duck is to be my sidekick to unlocking the strangest, most bizarre happenings in the life of a young woman is going to happen! Comic sketching and list write ups with my new friend, Emily, made for some great brainstorming time. I mostly drew faces, but, alas, the thought process time is therapeutic in its own ways.
.

Duck Log #2

Muscovy ducks like to use low pitched sounds and behavior, such as wagging their tails, in order to scare potential predators. Sometimes they will lower and raise their heads and upper bodies at the same time, doing a kind of "wiggly duck dance". Some say this is cute. But, they are really trying to be quite scary.

I am still in Florida. Just a few more days before heading back to Portland. You really do learn that you love where you live when you go away from it. I can't wait to be back in the PNW, where life feels surreal most of the time. 

I did search for Chicken Duck to no avail. You are probably wondering who or what Chicken Duck is...well, that will have to be saved for another Duck Log. Chicken Duck came from outer space, so the tale needs to be told with appropriate timing. 

Duck Log #1

Muscovy ducks originate from Mexico, Central America, and South America. They are quite large, often times weighing in around 15 pounds. They are often spotted with feathers in colors of black and white, and are known for the pink and red wattles around their bill that can resemble a mask of sorts. What is not a highly known fact about them is that they have been put on this planet...to save the world.

 ::insert wild western themed music::

 Meep. Moop. Bleep. Bloop. I am starting a new blog. It will incorporate duck facts and Marla facts. Little snippets of my life, but seen through the sunset-colored lenses of a duck-loving lady who moved from Florida to Portland. There will be quacks. There will be laughs. There might be tears, but mostly on my end.