To combat the looming exams I am trying to enjoy the little things, and in York one of the little things that appear in vast numbers are waterfowl. So, instead of doing my readings, I have invested my time into figuring out what these ducks get up to. And yes, I know that is a photo of geese. The ducks, understandably, weren’t too thrilled with my investigative skills and made sure to stay just out of frame.
I started my investigation bright and early by heading to campus. Unsurprisingly, the old saying holds up — the early bird (or duck) really does get the worm.
However, as a rigorous investigative journalist, I sought to confirm this theory beyond the handful of ducks I saw awake on campus. One quick google search later, and the information is verified. Ducks are most active before sunrise and mid-morning, beginning their day with a short flight. Fascinating.
But what next? The ducks appeared to spend most of their day either waddling around or resting. My keen eye for a story knew there must be more to it than this.
Some of this waddling may qualify as foraging. This is something that ducks will spend hours doing, sometimes even well into the night as they hunt for new spots to feed. Other waddling may also be a social activity. My online research found that ducks are very social creatures that show affection for family and friends. In mating season, the waddling we see may also be a male duck performing to earn a chance to mate with a female, with female ducks choosing a mate based on dancing skills.
As for resting, I was disappointed to learn that there is not as much happening below the surface. After seeing one duck peacefully napping near the campus lake, I wondered: “Do ducks dream?”
Some duck owners appear to question the same. On the site backyardchickens.com, user diamondduck wrote: “I wonder if he had a bad dream”, referring to a duckling who appeared to have had a restless night. One user replied: “I personally believe that all species dream. Some people believe we have to dream to survive. So basically, we dream why shouldn’t they?” Fearing I had stumbled into a philosophical debate about the self – and feeling out of my depth (pun intended) – I quickly exited the thread.
Continuing my research into whether the duck was dreaming, I was met with many sites answering a different question – the meaning of ducks in dreams. These sites had many claims, including that ducks are a positive sign, they symbolise a journey, new opportunities and personal growth, but did not give me the answers I sought. I decided to give up for now, jotting down “potential article idea: the meaning of ducks in dreams” in my notebook.
Looking back at my notes from my on-campus investigation, next to “waddling” and “resting”, I had also scrawled the word “swimming”. This raised the question: do ducks like to swim? Unfortunately, I was unable to get any of the ducks to speak on the record. Luckily, the internet was able to answer this one, with the unanimous answer that ducks love to swim.
So here’s the rundown so far:
The ducks begin their day before sunrise with a short flight. As the afternoon rolls around, the ducks either spend their time resting, and potentially dreaming, swimming, foraging, hanging out with family and friends, and dancing.
But what’s the nightlife like?
It was here that my commitment to the bit (*cough cough* serious investigation) dwindled a little, as I did not fancy spending my night on campus watching ducks. Instead, I went home and headed to bed, promising myself I would thoroughly research the issue in the morning.
This research revealed that ducks love their nightlife. I learnt that migration peaks in the middle of the night, ducks also make shorter local journeys in the cover of night. Some ducks also feed at night – soo not that dissimilar to us students making the treacherous migration from the club to our favourite late night food spots.
To conclude my article, I would like to add a disclaimer that I am in no way an expert on ducks, I have simply documented what I witnessed on campus and read online after very brief research. And, while I didn’t exactly shadow a duck from dawn till dusk, I like to think I pieced together a decent idea of how the York waterfowl spend their day.