Territorial Ducks

There is a pond behind my house that is primarily for  water retention and flood control. While a poor substitute for wetland, it does direct rain water to wetlands to creeks to rivers and ultimately the Atlantic. This system moved a10 inch rainfall from a hurricane that caused grief here in the lowlands of South Carolina but did not cause any local flooding. This pond , as many do, always has water.

By late Spring the pond is loaded with various small fish, tadpoles, cricket and tree frogs. Egrets, herons and other water birds would make periodic stops to fish. I would often sit outside on my balcony enjoying my morning coffee and watch the activity. One morning a mallard hen and her brood arrived to claim the pond.