Bob La Trémouille Reports:
1. General.
A. Weekend events.
B. Advances on Wednesday.
2. Bill's Report.
3. Update from Lois, July 27.
A. General.
B. Lois.
(1) Report, July 27.
(2) Your Editor.
4. Bill concurs with Lois.
A. Report, July 27.
B. Editor.
5. Photos.
6. Follow-up, July 31, 2006.
1. General.
A. Weekend events.
Last Saturday, July 22, two new residents appeared at Magazine Beach, and several of us, especially Bill Nauman, Allison Blyler, me, Ann Lynch and Lois Martin (by order of time spent as I gather it), have spent too much time there because of it.
I think the key work has been done by Bill Naumann and Allison Blyler of the Charles River Urban Wilds Initiative, Inc. and I commend them for their success to date.
Last Saturday, two white ducks were dropped at Magazine Beach.
In the six to seven years I have followed Magazine Beach closely, we have had three geese dropped at the Destroyed Nesting Area / Goose Meadow. All adapted successfully. One passed away of not really related causes after five years of residence. The other two are happy parents and give no signs of any meaningful problems.
This is the first time we have had ducks appear and the first time of animals appearing at Magazine Beach proper.
The twosome are very sweet guys and were not at all interested in being other than pets. They stayed in the grove of trees (soon to be partially destroyed) at the entrance of the parking lot, clearly awaiting the return of their master.
Sunday morning during our 5 year anniversary memorial of the death of Bumpy, the very great danger of their chosen location was driven dramatically home to me. And I have heard of the event from a number of third parties including at least one with a City of Cambridge badge.
The two ducks were attacked by a free roaming dog whose owner had left him off leash.
The male of the couple was caught and grabbed by the neck between sharp teeth. I was close enough to the situation and I very emphatically modified the behavior of the dog with two swift kicks to the body. The dog and master left.
Our Bumpy friends surrounded the male duck to see if he was harmed. He was not. Then we realized that our circle had kept the two ducks from seeing each other, so we opened up the circle to correct the problem. For perhaps ten minutes thereafter the duck couple, highly afraid of humans, very deliberately comforted each other in the middle of our human gathering, to keep away the really dangerous dogs.
The two ducks strongly liked making their home in that grove, but the safety issue was a very major reason why that was a bad idea.
The geese NEVER walk as far from the Charles as that grove of trees. They always leave themselves a direct, close way to get into the Charles the minute they see a predator.
B. Advances on Wednesday.
Pretty much all of us have been attempting to educate the ducks in the way of the world. The ducks started to follow Bill and Allison around after careful communing between the humans and the ducks.
Bill estimates that these two beings have led a very sheltered life as pets in somebody’s house, probably never seeing their parents. He also estimates that there was a dog in the house because, while the gaggle is very properly scared of dogs, the two white ducks have no such fear.
Bill and his associates have worked to get the ducks into the Charles with major success today, July 25. At first, the two ducks did not have the slightest idea what all that blue stuff was for. I was able to get them to drink out of the Bumpy Pond, however.
Wednesday, July 25, Lois reports that she and Bill got them to go into the Charles River. I understand Bill coaxed the ducks into the Charles by wading into it himself. When I arrived, they were enjoying the river with great vigor, diving, splashing and happily swimming. They definitely spent most of the rest of the day in the Charles River.
Bill calls them Andrake (André + drake) and Daffney (a feminization of Daffy, I presume).
Hopefully, the ducks will, at minimum, set themselves up close to the Charles, or even better, at the Destroyed Nesting Area / Goose Meadow.
2. Bill's Report, early stage:
I tried to lead Andrake and Daffney to the meadow via the water this afternoon. We hadn't really fed them today (seemed they were doing good foraging for themselves swimming around and eating grasses etc.) so I walked in the river with a bag of lettuce hoping they would follow.
Well, they accompanied me swimming, and talking, and eating the stuff. About two thirds the way they decided to head back. "drats" Maybe the consolation is they will expand their river horizon and in the meadow direction.... we shall see.
Hope they continue to stay near the water and away from the canines.
[ed. This was a fairly early report on Wednesday.]
3. Update from Lois, July 27.
A. General.
I understand from a report by Lois Martin on Thursday Morning, July 26, that she spotted them near the Mass. Pike exit. That would mean that they just found the place and already they are exploring more than do the CRWG.
B. Lois.
(1) Report, July 27.
Hi,
I went over to see the ducks and geese this morning between 7 and 7:30.
At first I could not locate the ducks but I am pretty sure they are on the other side of the river near the pike exit. I watched them and it appears as though it is them but I did not have binoculars with me.
They looked happy swimming and leaning into the water probably eating. The white geese seemed fine also. I brought them some more cracked corn. When I was there Tuesday Bill was there but no one was there this morning.
I will try to bring binoculars next time to check. But I hope they come back to this side when it gets cold because how will they survive by themselves over there.
Lois
(2) Your Editor.
I hope they will consent to visiting us on occasion they are beautiful creatures.
I will watch the situation closely.
4. Bill concurs with Lois.
A. Report, July 27.
Yep,
That was them ... As I pretty much saw what lois described at 6:30 or there abouts....
After I checked and fed the few that weren't at magazine, and hangin in the meadow, I biked over to the Boston side and saw em up close. They were swimming usually so close they were touching.
You could see them from the meadow too ... Looking out from near the B.U.Bridge across the way.
B. Editor.
It is striking to see two ducks behaving like love struck humans.
These two guys are so close.
5. Photos.
I do not have the skill to put photos on this blog.
The following are addresses of photos which, in turn, were provided by Bill Naumann of Charles River Urban Wilds Initiative, Inc. Thank you, Bill.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/boblat/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=91ecre2.jpg&.src=ph&.tok=phQqNQFBC.8BQm9W
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/boblat/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=d407re2.jpg&.src=ph&.tok=phQpNQFBKa25QYcb
6. Follow-up, July 31, 2006.
I wandered over to the Boston side of the Charles River looking for Andrake and Daffney at about 1:00 pm on a day in the 80's.
With careful hunting, I found them and they made it very clear that they are not interested in being friendly to a human male. Intelligent of them.
They have a nice location, in the water under thick cover.
Similar to what they held on to at Magazine Beach with very major improvements.
They are in water, not dirt.
They are safe from dogs and humans.
They have cover but it is a lot closer.
They are in their element, not in the element of the worst predators.
Disadvantage: One gentleman has mentioned big snapping turtles in this area who find wild ducks a delicacy. They swim up underneath and grab. But this is a problem of the food chain, of free animals. Not a problem of sick human beings.
They look happy. And beautiful.
