Mystery of the Mallards Who Elected to Stay on Frozen Lake

Sun setting on frozen Harlem Meer yesterday.

Tree overlooking completely frozen lake.

Not a duck or goose to be seen anywhere.

Night falls on frigid scene.

And suddenly, out come the ducks -- including Mister Mister!

But, why did the flying mallards elect to stay on frozen lake?

At the Jackie Onassis Reservoir, geese who had been hunkered against cold the day before, suddenly had to "work" to maintain open water on quickly icing over watercourse.

Temperatures in NYC warmed yesterday to a balmy 25 degrees.  It almost felt like spring!

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But, considering near single digit plunge of the previous few days, I fully expected Harlem Meer in Central Park to be a frozen block of ice -- and indeed it was.

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There was not a single goose or duck to be seen anywhere on the ice-covered lake when first I arrived.

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But, the reason for going to the Meer was my concern for "Mister, Mister," the mallard drake with a broken wing since last spring.

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Could Mister survive at all on a frozen lake? -- Especially alone?

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I walked all around the Meer yesterday searching for Mister or any sign of waterfowl life only to be met with sunset photo opportunities.

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But, as the sun sunk below the horizon and I had walked a complete circle around the Meer, I suddenly noticed, not one, but a total of 5 mallards walking on the ice!

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Where had they been hiding? I wondered. (Apparently in marshes and weeds.) And why were 4 flying mallards still at the frozen Meer?

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The second question I had no answer for as it is extremely unusual for ducks or geese to remain on a totally frozen watercourse.

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That is, unless there is some sort of "bonding" with a flightless mate or flock member or there is anticipation that ice will shortly melt and open water soon become available.

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I am not sure of the answer in this case as I was not aware of Mister having any bonded flock mates or if the ducks could possibly know that temperatures would warm today and the thinner ice sheets likely melt.

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The four healthy ducks remaining were comprised of two drakes and two hens (pairs, I imagined).  But, exactly why they stayed to tough it out with the flightless Mister when all the other mallards and geese left shall remain a mystery.

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Chalk it up to still another example of just when you think you "know" everything about natural duck or goose behavior, something occurs that knocks your socks off and basically informs that you are an idiot.  (i.e."You don't know anything at all!")

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After tossing some cracked corn to the hungry five on ice who provided few answers, I decided to check out the scene at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir where presumably most of the geese and ducks still remained.

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But, I was in for another shock when finally arriving to the Reservoir.

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In less than 24 hours, nearly 90% of the Reservoir became covered in ice!   (As previously noted, the Central Park Reservoir, rarely freezes over even in the coldest of winters. To suddenly see it like a giant ice sheet and in so short a period was startling to say the least!)

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I could however, make out goose shapes in the far distance and made my way over to the north side of the watercourse -- or ice course, more accurately.

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And yes, the geese, mallards and coots were still there -- but unlike the previous day when geese were mostly hunkered down against the cold with their heads tucked into their backs, the geese were hard at work last night.

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They apparently realized that with 90% of the Reservoir quickly icing over, they had two choices:

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They either flew out to search for a safe, open water location somewhere else. 

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Or, they organized into "working groups" to swim vigorously in circles to maintain an open pool of water.

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Most of the geese obviously chose the latter. --  If they wanted open water at the Reservoir, they had to work for it.

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And so swim and "work" they did.  

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I did not in fact see even one goose last night sitting on rocks with head tucked into back like the day before. 

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Each goose had a role and job to do.

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And for their part, the mallards and coots assisted.

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While geese, being larger and heavier than mallards or coots are good at breaking up thin sheets of ice, the smaller birds (being quicker) assist by keeping the pools open through vigorous, energetic swimming.

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Its interesting how waterfowl, who can be competitive and even combative with each other during other times of the year are amazingly cooperative when the chips are down and conditions challenging.

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This was not the first time I had witnessed geese and ducks working cooperatively to create and maintain open water during winter's challenges.  Indeed, it is par for the course.

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But, I still can't figure out those four mallards who elected to stay at a completely frozen  Harlem Meer!

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Perhaps Mister Mister has something going for him besides a broken and now calcified wing?

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It is said that nature often "compensates" for that which is taken away.

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I was aware that since breaking his wing, Mister Mister became the fastest duck on feet at Harlem Meer.   He moves on land with the swiftness of a dart which is the one factor that makes a rescue of this flightless mallard nearly impossible.

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But, did nature compensate Mister Mister in some other way I am not aware?

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Perhaps a hefty dose of charm or persuasion?

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Only the mallards know for sure -- and they ain't telling.    

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I will simply have to be content to know what I do not know.  -- PCA

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