Along with the ubiquitous Mallard ducks and the Canada geese, the flock in the duck ponds in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park also have some domestic refugees from nearby farms who have decided to take up residence there. I've included shots of the two resident Muscovies here in the past; there are also a couple of plain white domestic ducks who have moved in. And then there are two totally unique examples of another domestic breed - Indian Runners. Contrary to the name, Indian Runners originated in the Indonesian archipelago. Unlike most other ducks, these guys stand upright rather than horizontal to the ground, which gets them called Penguin Ducks in some places. And also unlike most other ducks, Indian Runners actually run (or walk) rather than waddle. The two in Dykeman are black, but they come in a variety of colors and patterns. You can get the full lowdown in their Wikipedia article.
Today I caught one of them sitting, and the sitter actually stayed that way for a little while, allowing me to get a decent seated portrait. After a while it got tired of my presence, so it got up and walked away, allowing me to get a shot of its characteristic posture.
© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger
No comments:
Post a Comment