The blue billed boys are back! In fact, these 'clowns' have been back for awhile but pull out a camera and they are rather shy (sorry, these aren't the best photos)! Meet our Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis). The Ruddy Duck is the ONLY member of the stiff-tailed duck bunch found in Alberta and I love 'em! Not only colourful but they are also entertaining to watch! The ladies, despite being much smaller than a mallard, will commonly lay up to 15 eggs and apparently the ladies in our sloughs were successful 'Moms!'
The first 'Mama' has a clutch of 10 swimming behind and in the final pic ... a different slough and a different 'Mama,' there are 11 ducklings! I guess you could say these ladies have their 'ducks all lined up in a row!'
Wow, what a super mom! Up to 15 eggs? Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI know ... can you imagine! Poor gals looked rather 'frazzled' trying to keep their ducks in a row with 10 & 11 ... add another 4 or 5!!! YIKES indeed!
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