The Bad Boys of the Reservoir (Love-Sick Drake and Gander)

Bruce the Brute attacking another drake. "You cannot be here. Off with you!"

The spoils as gift.  "ARE you not proud of me?"

Bozo striking a pose.

Bozo won't let me leave!

"You can't just abandon me!"

 

I seem to have become the object of misplaced avian affection over the past few weeks.

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Perhaps this brutal winter has put a damper on the normal paring rituals and battles that typically occur in January and February or maybe a mallard drake and Canada goose gander are just jaded in some way. But, I am lately observing and experiencing some very strange behavior.

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I named the drake, "Bruce the Brute" at least two weeks ago, when noticing a particularly feisty mallard beating up on every other duck (male or female) who dared to come anywhere near me. After chasing, pecking and often grabbing a piece of down from some poor, unsuspecting and hungry mallard, Bruce then typically stands at my feet, looks up and apparently expects praise.

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Sometimes he even presents the ripped off piece of down as a "gift!"

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I am obviously not pleased with this uncharitable and nasty behavior towards the other ducks and have attempted to admonish Bruce the Brute both, verbally and even with a few pats along his rear end, but to no avail.

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Bruce is simply incorrigible. Or love-sick and jealous. I am not sure.

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Adding to these woes over the past few days has been an even "crazier" Canada goose gander!

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"Bozo" first grabbed my attention a couple of nights ago, when brazenly flying up and landing on the top of the pointed iron fence that separates the Reservoir from the running path -- certainly an unusual (and kind of crazy) action for a goose.

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He posed for a few seconds and I was able to snap a couple of photos.

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But, what is not seen in the photo is what Bozo did next!

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While trying to put away my camera, Bozo suddenly took off from the fence and attempted to land on the top of my head!

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"What the hell! Are you out of your mind!?" 

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Apparently, the top of my head isn't big enough for the two large, webbed feet of a gander to properly balance, so fortunately, Bozo quickly dismounted and jumped to the running path.

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But, like Bruce (the mean mallard), Bozo hovers at my feet and follows me around. While not particularly mean to mallards, Bozo nevertheless doesn't like me tossing treats to the other birds and pecks at my coat, my bag and even my hands.

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"No, no, pay attention to me -- ONLY me!"

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This same exact ritual has occurred two nights in a row.  Last night, Bozo was so demanding of my undivided attention, he nearly followed me home!

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"Where are you going?  You can't leave me!"

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Rummaging in my bag, I finally found a crust of bread to toss to Bozo and then made a quick getaway -- snow and all!.

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I don't know who of the two "offenders" is actually worse, but both, Bruce and Bozo are too possessive, jealous, demanding and intense for my independent taste.

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Moreover, I am neither a duck nor a goose!

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The good news in this bizarre saga is that Bozo is usually not at the Reservoir in the mornings as presumably he is out foraging with a bunch of other geese.

And I don't always see the bullying and cantankerous Bruce the Brute at night.

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Spring is supposedly just a few weeks away (though one would never know it by recent snowfalls and more snow expected tonight and tomorrow).

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Surely at some point these birds have to recognize they are, well, birds and that I am not!

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Should that not occur, does anyone know of a Match or Harmony.com site for lonely and love lorn drakes and ganders?  -- PCA

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