What has Yeow Cheong been doing in York?: The Sinister Duck

If you have been wondering about the progress of the ducklings since my last post, well, I have bad news. None of them have survived.

The reason is that there is actually a very sinister side to a duck's character. To be more precise, the species of duck commonly found here in the UK, and on the campus, is the mallard(and not the mandarin duck that I mistakenly wrote in my previous posts). In fact, the mallard is considered as an invasive species in many parts of the world. But the reason why the ducklings didn't survive has got to do with the mating behaviour of the mallard.

Firstly, most male ducks (proper term is drake, duck is the female term) will leave the (female) duck once the it has laid the eggs, so the drake doesn't help protect the ducklings. Then there is a gang of drakes here on campus which do not have any mates. So what do they do when they spot a duck? They will gang up and start chasing the duck continuously until she is exhausted. At which point, they will take turns to copulate (rape is the more appropriate word, really) with her.

In the process, the ducklings are separated from the duck. The cries of the lost ducklings attract other drakes, which promptly pick each up one by one, and submerge them underwater to drown them! It is really heart wrenching to watch! On top of that, according to the barber, the ducklings are also picked off by crows and magpies. Well, if it is any consolation, it is the thought that some of the ducklings will grow up to be like these drakes!

But of course it is not that bad for ducklings every where, otherwise mallards would not be so common here. When I visited Castle Howard, I saw many ducklings there growing up quite well and nice.

The gooslings, on the other hand, are growing up very well. Both father and mother geese take very good care of the gooslings, and would hiss and chase at you if you get too close to them. The first gooslings are almost grown up now. You would not have recognise them as the gooslings of two months back if not for the fact that they still call with a squeak instead of a squawk. See how much they have grown!