Where do ducks go when it's too cold?

[WhenSunnyGetsBlue]

Genuine question. Theres's a little pond near where I live in the city. I always wonder where the ducks go on a cold morning. I've never seen them anywhere BUT the pond, but they aren't there when it's too cold. So where are they? Please help my overactive brain so I can get some sleep 😅

Holden ? Is that you?

They go to the Duck and Whistle pub 😆

The Rye.

Probably sat wherever their nests are (usually some kind of reeds or whatever).

They duck off down south

Well obviously you don't know about Duck Manor and the like. Scrooge McDuck lived there and Im assuming maybe put up the cold ducks for the night😂

@Needmorelego the must be camouflaged. Seriously, I've only ever seen ducks on the water (or waddling around next to the water). Why dont we ever see the ducks going for a walk? They are always on the water or mysteriously ...not there.

Ah that makes sense. Thanks

@WhenSunnyGetsBlue you do know ducks can fly......

They'll be sheltering, tucked behind a bush or a wall for example, staying very still and probably standing on one leg. Ducks don't mind the cold but they do not like wind. Like most birds they only make nests to lay eggs in (not as a warm home for themself), so some will be starting to build a nest soon.

I'm assuming mallard ducks here.

Ducks go for a kip every couple of hours, they are very cold hardy and todays temps won't bother them much. If it's windy or cold they go and sit with their feet inside their belly feathers under shrubs. If it's not windy they are usually foraging.

They will have just come into lay but the drakes don't help build the nest the ducks won't want them to know where they nest exactly,so the drake is usually visible standing near by a potential nest site waiting for her but it's a little bit early for that but it's a possible reason they aren't visible.

My money is on them having a kip.

Why one leg? Is the other one resting or is it to keep it warm?

Birds can go to sleep on one side of their brain, they are probably and quite literally half asleep

@Needmorelego Can duck really fly? I feel so stupid.

@MarkingBad Mallard ducks, yes. There's also one white one ...

So the best bet is they are actually there, by the pond. They are really good at hiding. I mean they can't have gone far or we'd see them walking to the pond from time to time. Tomorrow I'm going duck spotting. Do you think they evolved to be really good at hiding? Who preys on ducks...they are so harmless.

Tha is incredible. Imagine being able to have half brain naps.

If it's really cold they may fly off to another local pond/lake that's larger and not frozen over. Wild ducks may migrate hundreds or thousands of miles between the seasons (some of the mallards in the UK in winter have come from as far away as Finland and Russia, though others stay here all year).

Everything evolved to be really good at hiding. Even tigers because their usual prey deer sees orange as green.

Pretty much everything preys on ducks including humans.

Wow. I'm learning. Never knew that a humble duck could fly that distance. I always though migrating birds were bigger. That's such a long way for a little mallard

@Chesticov they stand one one leg because that halves the heat loss through their unfeathered feet/legs. Ducks have got a special vascular system (which is too complicated for me to explain this time of night, sorry) which means they really don't mind the cold too much at all.

I've been trying to train my brain to do that since school, I feel I've been fairly successful especially in classroom situations 😆

Thing is they can fly half asleep, which is amazing

I like ducks now. They are pretty cool and seriously underrated.

They snuggle up in their duck down duvet

Ducks are lovely OP, I've kept them for years. They're really messy, highly entertaining and form strong bonds with each other (and sometimes with their keeper too, though I wouldn't say they are ever tame, like a pet).

Re migrating, a mallard isn't really a little bird, it'll be one of the larger migratory birds. I mean, swifts and martins and even nightingales migrate and they're tiny compared to a duck.

They come onto MN, and get themselves into a little row...
🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

Ducks on your pond aren’t real. They are Chinese spy ducks. When it is cold, they are peering in your windows with their beady eyes like Feathers McGraw. Reporting back to HQ.

Either that or they have gone to the lemonade stand for some grapes.