You know how people tend to hang out in the same spot every day? Well ducks tend to do this too. Every time I walk down the creek doing my observations I see group of ducks sitting in the same exact spot. Every single time. It's fascinating how they never go anywhere else; it's like this place where they go is somewhere that they can feel safe. I actually learned that these ducks, which are called Mallards, tend to live in small ponds or creeks, so this creek is the perfect habitat for them. I also found that these ducks live in Nevada year-round, therefore they never move anywhere else. Knowing that fact, I can infer that most of these ducks have only lived around this creek, and they've probably never known life in any other habitat. This give a sort of explanation for why they always seem to be doing the same things in the same place.
This picture is almost identical to one that I took before, and that shows how these ducks prefer to be in this spot over anywhere else on this mile-long path. In the summer, this spot might be preferable to them due to the abundance of shade, but in the fall and winter, it seems like they might want to lay in the sun where it is much warmer.
"That tree they always sit under must be some sort of sanctuary for them." - My Field Notes 11/7/14.
Works Cited
Owen Dick, Gary. "Mallard". Field Guide to Birds of North America. Mitch Waite Group, n.d.
Web. 1 Dec. 2014.
