Delman and Clotille

No, this isn't a Cajun joke. It's about two ducks at work.

Across the road from the office is man-made lake, which is privately owned. Originally, it was a large dirt pit for supplying materials to build a large section of IH-10. Now, it's beautiful green water and lots of wildlife - including ducks.

Since the lake is kept from the public,  there are no human predators. Migratory birds come and go, but some decide to stay. Included in the denizens are a few dozen Canadian Geese and about a half dozen Mallards. This brings us to Delman and Clotille: two of the finest Mallards you'll ever see. Fat, sleek and their markings are classic. They can fly, but that's rare. That's old school in their world. Why bother?

Delman is the drake, Clotille is the hen. They are a mated pair and spend some time wondering around the office. They've denoted the area as their own and will chase off the other ducks, if they happen to wander around. It's not a violent squabble when this happens, but it can turn into a duck shouting match. The quacks are aggressive and the visitors soon leave.

When I have something they'll eat, (they don't like peanuts) I'll ease out front early in the morning and wait for them to spot me. As soon as this happens, they'll waddle up announcing their arrival with their social, quiet quacks. Clotille will shake her tail in contentment, while they wait for their food. Delman will give me his typical wary look and hang back.

As I feed them, I'll squat and patiently wait. They won't eat from my hand, but will eat the food I throw just out of my reach. Clotille will dig in, while Delman will take a bite, glare at me for a moment and then take another bite. They'll finish quickly and then look at me for more.  They won't leave until I go back inside. Until then, they'll pick at rocks, or anything else they think might be a missed morsel.

What interests me about the two is the fact they came from the wild. For some reason, they decided to stay and not migrate. Maybe one was injured, so the other stayed to help. Who knows. I do know they're pleasant to have around and add quiet, happy moments to my day.