{"id":15924,"date":"2021-06-14T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=15924"},"modified":"2021-06-14T09:29:25","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T13:29:25","slug":"take-5-get-your-ducks-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-get-your-ducks-in-a-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Get Your Ducks In a Row"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As spring gives way to summer, young ducks that were but mere hatchlings a few weeks ago are growing rapidly. Mallard<\/a> ducklings remain with their mother after hatching for about 50\u201360 days until they can fly on their own. Mother Mallards keep their fluffy little ducklings together for protection against predators and favor open water for the same reason, so you’ll often see them paddling along in a cluster or an orderly line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes Mallards over a year to reach full adulthood, but they can begin flying at about three or four months when their wings fully develop and the blue\/purple “speculum” feathers on their wings grow in. Not long after that, their bills change color, too, which means they can finally be visually differentiated by sex\u2014males have yellow bills while females’ are black and orange. The plumage is still similar, but by ten months of age, the males will grow into their more vibrant colors: emerald-green heads, white neck rings, reddish breast plumage, and a curly central tail feather known as a drake feather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you seen Mallard ducklings near bodies of water in your community? Can you guess how old they are based on their plumage? Check out our tips for when ducks nest in your backyard<\/a> and enjoy these five adorable photos of ducklings from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mother
Mother Mallard and ducklings \u00a9 Martin Culpepper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mallard
Mallard ducklings \u00a9 Laura Ferraguto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mother
Mother mallard and fledglings \u00a9 Doug Pederson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mother
Mother Mallard and ducklings \u00a9 Derrick Jackson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Mallard
Mallard mother and ducklings \u00a9 Hien Nguyen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As spring gives way to summer, young ducks that were but mere hatchlings a few weeks ago are growing rapidly. Mallard ducklings remain with their mother after hatching for about 50\u201360 days until they can fly on their own. Mother Mallards keep their fluffy little ducklings together for protection against predators and favor open water […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":15925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[214,213,84],"class_list":["post-15924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-ducks","tag-mallard-ducks","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/1293HienNguyen4387-2-Copy.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-48Q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10709,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-mallards-on-the-move\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Mallards on the Move","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Ducks are a familiar sight in our urban and suburban parks, having adapted over time to thrive in developed areas.\u00a0There are dozens of species of ducks, but thanks to Robert McCloskey's popular children's book\u00a0Make Way for Ducklings, most folks are familiar with the Mallard species, the most abundant waterfowl in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1293HienNguyen4387_fi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11917,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-bottoms-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Bottoms Up!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"November 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Waterfowl exhibit a whole host of different feeding behaviors, like diving, grazing, or foraging. The most common, however (or at least the most commonly recognized) is \"dabbling\" or \"tipping\". Dabbling ducks like the Mallards pictured below will simply \"tip up\" in shallow water\u00a0to forage on the aquatic plants along the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9 Glenn Rifkin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/1456GlennRifkin4943_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/1456GlennRifkin4943_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/1456GlennRifkin4943_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/11\/1456GlennRifkin4943_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7524,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/make-way-for-ducklings-what-to-do-when-you-find-a-nest-in-your-backyard\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":2},"title":"Make Way for Ducklings: What To Do When You Find a Nest in Your Backyard","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"What would you do if you discovered a mother duck incubating a nest full of eggs in your fenced-in backyard? One Newton family found themselves in just such a situation when a mallard (dubbed \u201cQuackie\u201d by five-year-old Dylan) laid a clutch of eggs right beside their back door. Initially, they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stuff We Love"","block_context":{"text":"Stuff We Love","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/stuff-we-love\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Female Mallard sitting on her nest beside a back doorstep","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/04\/Perspective-photo-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7122,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-wood-ducks\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Wood Ducks","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The winter landscape may not offer the widest spectrum of colors, so seeing a jewel-tone wood duck is always a welcome sight.\u00a0Some of these birds have hung around in Massachusetts all winter, and\u00a0others are just now returning to the state\u00a0from warmer places. Unlike most of our waterfowl, the aptly named\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Larry-Warfield-2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11751,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-migrating-waterfowl\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Migrating Waterfowl","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is a great time to see a\u00a0variety of waterfowl as they pass through Massachusetts on their way to their wintering grounds. Brant, Surf and White-winged Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers are best viewed along the sea coast, while Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Ducks are more likely to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Green-winged Teal \u00a9 Matt Filosa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/10\/3417Matt_Filosa16547.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12409,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-great-timing\/","url_meta":{"origin":15924,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Great Timing","author":"Ryan D.","date":"February 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a tremendous amount of skill that goes into capturing a great photo: lighting, exposure, composition, depth of field, and so much more. 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