Tyler Starr: 9/11, Jackson Plaza over Mill Stream

Tyler Starr

11 September 2008 from 0740 to 0758

Location: Jackson Plaza on the steps leading to the Mill Stream, facing west.

Weather: About 60 ̊ F, no wind, no clouds, but the sun is still mostly behind a building where I am sitting.

General: I had extra time before my class started, so I decided to observe the mallard ducks since they are normally not around during the day. I counted 33 total ducks. Of the 20 that were close enough to distinguish feather colors, 9 appeared to be male and 11 appeared to be female. There are a variety of activities going on, all of which I will try to describe. A large portion of the ducks are eating. Ten (at this moment) are on the southern river bank pecking at the grass. Occasionally one will flap their wings for a brief second and jump up to or down from the ledge, about 2-3 feet high. One clever duck realized that she could eat the grass growing on the retaining wall of the ledge without having to jump up (see picture to right). Other ducks turn upside down in the stream to feed off of the bottom (see picture to left), which I find rather amusing. The second most prominent activity seems to be preening (see picture to right). The ducks are molting their feathers in preparation for their migration. It is mostly noticeable with the males. The males exhibit a lot of variation—several males still have all of their normal markings, while some have brownish-gray heads and brown, white, and gray speckled feathers. The ducks are mostly silent, except occasionally, one or two ducks will follow another one with a repetitive “quacking” sound. I don’t know why they do it; it doesn’t appear to be out of aggression by any means. Twice I saw a duck rear up flap its wings in place, although once again, I do not know why. Even while I was sitting there, three ducks took off and flew to the east. I always wonder where they go during the day, and if they leave to escape people or the heat. When I walked by the stream at 1115, about 10 or so ducks were sitting in the shade on the northern bank under a tree, but when I walked by again at 1245, all of the ducks were gone. This observation was especially enjoyable; watching the ducks was very amusing.