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We live on the Blanco River at Wimberley. We feed three Domestic Ducks (Huey, Dewey and Louie) and a male Mallard (Daffy). The three DD's (one male and two females) constantly harass Daffy, chase him, bite him and even try to drown him to prevent him from eating the corn and deer meal that I feed them. Daffy hangs in there and eventually gets to eat and on occasion even make love to Miss Dewey. Huey doesn't seem to mind that - his main interest is to keep Daffy from eating. This goes on off and on every day. Other times, the four of them peacefully cruise the river in front of our house awaiting feeding time. Sometimes in the morning they will walk up the bank a hundred feet or so towards my house looking for me. They also nap in the grass during the day. They put on quite a show. We continue to be amazed at how Daffy stays with the three domestic ducks in spite of their rude behavior. I guess it is better than being alone.  Bill and Kathleen Cline.

I used to have a Muskovey duck named Frank. He was the ugliest duck on the planet, or the most beautiful, depending on how you looked at him. I moved him to Bull Creek where there was a public boat ramp, near where County Line Barbeque is now, and every time we would go waterskiing, Frank would remember us, and come up to the boat to say hello, along with all of his new friends who were also ducks. This is a true story, and needs to be identified as true because I know how whacky it sounds. Raymond Schroeder

I live on Lake Murray in Central South Carolina.  We have Mallards, Canadian Geese, Domestic White Ducks and, oh yes, the ugly (or beautiful) Muskovy.  While enjoying TV in our den recently we realized something had gotten into our chimney.  The thumping noises were indicative of something larger than a squirrel or twitty bird, but it was night time, not a good time to head to the roof to see what had actually gotten in.  My husband was going to make the roof visit first thing in the AM to see if we could rescue whatever was making a home of our chimney.  I got up early and left for work, my husband is retired, and about an hour after I left he heard a great commotion in the den (we own two dogs and two cats who were in the house at the time).  He, of course, thought the cats had begun their usual chase game, but got up to check on them as the noises were quite loud.  What did he meet coming out of the den into the main part of the house, a full grown Muskovy.  The duck had managed somehow during the night to open the damper in the chimney, come into the fireplace, knock over the firescreen and make himself at home in the house.  The dogs and cats, as I understand it from my husband, were simply standing around and gawking at this big bird who had entered their domain.  I assume they felt that any animal who was allowed inside belonged there.  After shooing the Muskovy out of the living area onto our screened in porch my husband managed to capture him and put him out into the yard.  Let me mention that the chimney top is covered with a hood, but no wire, but there had to have been some effort on the part of the duck to gain entrance.  Oh well, all is well that ends well. Marcia Andrews

Duck News 2000 from Town Lake:

• Two cygnets survived their first few weeks as of June, 2000.  Few (if any) cygnets survive on Town Lake.   
  
• A 3 1/2-foot alligator was pulled from Town Lake and brought to the Town Lake Animal Center.  He was later released into the Colorado River, east of Austin.
  
  
• A new duck named Lancelot joined the crew. He's been hanging out near Genevieve, Sterling, and Serah, and he appears to be high in the 'pecking order'. Lancelot is dark brown with iridescent feathers on his back, a dark brown head, and black beak.  He's quite 'royal' looking.  Handsome Lancelot has a crush on Genevieve.  Even though he has no Muscovy markings, Lancelot sounds more like a Muscovy than a Mallard.  I like Lancelot because he's bold: he comes right up to me and asks for food!  He's certainly a prince of a duck!
  
  

• Another new duck named Cinderella and her baby, Piper, have been hanging out on Auditorium Shores.  Cinderella is "calico," probably of a breed related to Sterling and Serah; she is ivory and tan.  Piper is mostly tan.  They are beginning to get used to human feeding, but are still quite cautious.  Cinderella is breathtakingly beautiful, delicate, and shy.  Update:  Cinderella and Piper appear to have moved on from Auditorium Shores as of May 23, 1999.
  
                                                                    
                                                                     Cinderella and young Piper
  

• Many young grackles are hanging out waiting for Mom to feed them.  The moms take the bread I throw and feed it to their babies, who stand nearby, chirping loudly with their mouths wide open.
  
  
• Keep an eye out for green herons!
  
  
• The last of the lesser scaups took off in late April. They are late migrators; we'll see them again in the winter.

• Our newest June addition to Town Lake:  Bert and Ernie. Bert is a white domestic duck with a loud quack-quack. Bernie is his best friend, a smaller Mallard mix. They appear to be abandoned pets. If you see Bert and Ernie, feed them and be sweet to them.                                                                                                                                Ernie (left) with Bert
  
  
• Christopher is the lesser green heron who hangs out on a couple of favorite rocks on Town Lake and Turtle Pond.
  
  
• Jeanette (pictured right) lays a new batch of eggs.

• Lancelot has moved on as of June 6, 1999, leaving the courting of fair Genevieve to Sterling and Serah.
  Pictured left, Sterling and Serah stand on either side of Genevieve, as they peer out into the lake taking in the scenery.   
  
  
  
• One baby cygnet remains as of early June, 1999.
  
  
• The baby grackles are growing up!   Fewer grackles are begging Mommy for food, but rather are learning to pick up food for themselves. 
  
  
• Pigeons:  Several baby pigeons are wandering the grounds.  Some of them appear to come out the nest too early; they can't fly and don't eat well. .
  
  
• Impatient Pigeons: The pigeons have gotten to know me so well that they don't want to wait for me to tear up the bread and throw it.  Instead, they land on my wrists and eat out of my hands. The ones waiting for the choice spot will land on my feet, shoulders, and head! So if you see a whole bunch of pigeons with a little human peeking out from inside, it might just be me!
  
  
• Even the Sparrows Know Me!   We had a Father's Day 5K race, which started and ended at RunTex near Town Lake.  I finished the race and walked over to the outdoor shower at Mile 0 of the Hike and Bike Trail.  There were several other runners around cooling down, and I walked around slowly and started to head back to RunTex.  I wasn't carrying anything; I was wearing running clothes and a race number.  Suddenly, a tiny sparrow landed at my feet and chirped for food.  Since I had nothing to offer, I tried to walk quietly and inconspicuously back to RunTex.  But several other sparrows landed near me along with about twenty pigeons, and they followed me! I looked around at the other humans to see if the birds were following any of them, but Noooooo! The birds would land at my feet, and as I kept walking, they'd fly and land again -- all the way to RunTex!   Fortunately, they had bagels for the racers, so I grabbed a few oat bagels and snuck them back to my impatient, hungry friends!

• I spotted a second green heron in early July.  He landed on Chester's rock, which annoyed Chester!  Chester made a loud chirp and scared the second heron away.  They are beautiful and magnificent birds!
  

• There's a new Great Blue Heron hanging out named Charlotte.  She stands only about a foot and a half tall.   Look for her at dawn and dusk, standing still waiting for a fishstick or two.
  
  
• On July 14, the handsome and princely Lancelot returned after a long time away.  He came back to court fair Genevieve, which hasn't gone over well with poor Sterling, who loves her, too. 

• The baby cygnet is getting quite big; she's about four months old.  In another month, she should be able to fly and will be gaining independence.  She's bigger than a Muscovy now and almost as big as Mom and Dad!
  
  
• If you're wondering why the grackles are kind of funny looking in August/September, it's because they're molting.  They're losing their feathers and getting new ones!  It's not a very handsome sight, but a grackle's gotta do what a grackle's gotta do.

• September '99:  A few American coots have returned to the area!
  
  
• December '99:  The lesser scaups have made a late entrance into the Austin area.  Look for the cartoon-like ducks all over town lake.  The browner ones are the females; the males are grey with black heads.  Feed 'em bread!
  
  
• January 2000  Town Lake proved to be Y2K compliant for Marvin and the gang.  Visit the ducks, swans, and magnificent birds of Town Lake!