Notes from a Lake: Plucky, part 3

Anke Marsh

— 4 min read
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A photograph of a Mandarin Duck duckling. He is sleeping on the bank of the lake, head and beak tucked into his chest, one leg pulled up.
Plucky having a snooze (photo: Anke Marsh)

Last Monday (1 June), I ventured to the lake. I wanted to check on Plucky of course, and to see who else would be there. When I arrived, Plucky wasn’t around. There were, however, lots of other lake residents out. Two young Herons, probably born last spring, and a Cormorant shared the fallen willow trunk, mainly preening and looking blankly in front of themselves as they dozed off. Mallard Mamas and their ducklings swam around, Mama Coot was out too, tending to her seven kids and chasing anyone away who dared to be within 100 metres of her darlings.

But no Plucky. I wandered about, looking on the banks, looking out over the water, looking as much as I could through the dense wooded wetlands behind the lake. Still no Plucky.

I decided to wait. Maybe he was sleeping in a bit. I walked around the lake, taking photos of cute ducklings, dive-bombing Swallows, and the dozy Herons and Cormorant.

A photograph showing two herons and a cormorant standing on a willow trunk. The willow fell into the lake and its new growth now grows straight up from the horizontal trunk. One heron is on the far left, one is in the middle, and the cormorant o nthe far right. Vegetation is in the background, lake water in the foreground.
The two young Herons and a Cormorant (hiding on the right-hand side) (photo: Anke Marsh)

All the while I looked for Plucky. I started to feel that perhaps today he wouldn’t be out. I didn’t want to dwell on reasons why.

I crossed over the little bridge over the little weir (yes there is a big bridge over the big weir…). And who did I spot? Plucky the Lucky Ducky! He was waddling around the top of the little weir, poking his beak between the wet algae-slimed rocks, eating, exploring, being Plucky. He popped into the water and headed up to the other bank.

A zoomed in phot of Plucky, He is standing on a log, which is very blurred. One leg is raised. He is wet from the lake and a droplet of water has formed at the tip of his beak.
Plucky about to have a scratch (photo: Anke Marsh)

I walked quickly up the path to catch up and a woman was there. She started to chat to me. Wahhhhhhhhh! Nothing against her, but I wanted to catch up with Plucky!!! We chatted about the Herons – two herons! That’s a first here! It was, to be fair, a nice chat. I was just being a bit selfish. The woman walked off and I went up to the second bank. No Plucky. To the third bank. Still no Plucky.

Ok, I told myself. It’s ok. You saw him, he’s doing well. And that’s what you came for, isn’t it? I sat down on the second bank, watched Mama Coot chase off the hapless male Tufted duck whose crime was to simply exist on the same plane as the cootlings, when who decided to sit on the same bank? Mr Plucky of course. He nestled down, tucked his head in and fell asleep. I took a few photos, talked to him (thankfully no one around to judge me), and then left him in peace.

The weather the rest of the week was dreadful. Grey, windy, rainy and colder. I braved the elements (well, I put on a rainproof) and ventured out on Wednesday. Plucky didn’t appear at all. Barbara went out on Thursday. Again no Plucky.

A photograph of a parit of Tufted ducks on the lake. The male, on the left, is black with white flanks and an irridescent head (purple and green hints). He is looking at his mate, who is various shades of brown) as she dives head first into the green lake water.
A pair of Tufted ducks not being harassed by Mama Coot (photo: Anke Marsh)

On Friday, we were both there. We spent some time at the lake and again had a good scan of the wooded wetlands in the back, trying to see the area we knew the Mandarin ducks favoured. No Plucky.

Was Plucky the Lucky Ducky finally unlucky? Not necessarily.

The thing about Mandarin ducks is that they are rather shy birds. Sometimes they come out, showing off their plumage or cute ducklings. But often they sequester themselves away, hiding amongst the willow and other wetland trees and shrubs, away from the open lake.

A photograph of a female Mandarin duck and several of her ducklings. The mama is in focus, and is grey-brown, with white mottles on her flanks and chest, and a white stripe off her eye. The ducklings, blurred, are brown with some lighter colouring. They are surrounded by slightly rippled, blue water.
The Mandarin duck family with six ducklings. This photo was taken on 22 May (photo: Anke Marsh)

There are at least two, if not three pairs of Mandarin ducks at the lake - the pair with six ducklings (see photo above), the pair that Barbara saw last week, and Plucky’s parents, if they are still around. Barbara’s pair has only been out once (possibly nesting now?). The pair with the six ducklings hasn’t been out since mid May. And I haven’t seen Plucky’s parents since their photo session a couple of weeks back.

We have, however, got the odd glimpse of male colour through the branches. They are there. They just aren’t coming out. And it could be that Plucky’s gone back to where he was born and is simply hanging out, waiting for the weather to improve. And hopefully healing and getting stronger. We shall see and keep our fingers crossed for wee Plucky.

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