23.02.2012 Alone again

All juveniles are going their own ways

It has been an amazing journey. But now it has become a waiting game again. The question:

When will this amazing paradise duck couple start breeding again? And how successful will it be?

I have been travelling since my last visit at the end of January. Already then I had seen that

the remaining chicks were going their own ways. It would just have been nice to watch more

flying and diving adventures, and the females becoming indistinguishable from the mother duck.

But, well, I did not get this opportunity.

Back today, and all the juveniles have left. There were the two resident paradise duck couples I had

always seen along the left side of Park Terrace. To be honest, I would not have been able to tell which one was which.

I just assumed that the chick-less couple that had always been near the footbridge to Hagley Park had moved

towards the northern end of the street because of the demolition noise from the apartment buildings

of the Terrace on the Park complex. Those two walked straight into the Avon when I got closer.

The other couple were resting with the big flock of mallards and grey ducks I had seen them with

on my last visit, and they did not run away. So I guessed they were "my" paradise duck miracle parents.

And I fed them all. After a while the paradise ducks were sick of the other ducks' reckless racing

for food and kept a little distance. But the female appreciated very much me throwing some food towards her.

The male pecked on the ducks that came running and trying to steal the

food that "legally" was theirs ;-)

I was impressed by a grey duck that flew up repeatedly and stole from the big slice of grainy bread

I held in my left hand, breaking it into digestible pieces.

I said goodbye to my paradise ducks. Surely I will not go back every week to check on them. But you

can be sure I will keep an eye on them - just for the case another mega-multi-birth takes place.

P.S. I stopped feeding bread to ducks because this is not good for them. Better you have some food pellets or seeds ready for them if you want to feed them.