Feeding Ducks

     Yesterday, Jamal and I went to do one of our favorite things: feeding the ducks. Okay, maybe it's one of MY favorite things and Jamal is happy to watch. We started this tradition when we were dating. There is a duck pond at Nielson's Grove in Orem. The first time Jamal took me, it was winter and we had gotten hot chocolate to drink and then decided to walk around the park. Stupidly, I was wearing really thin flats with no socks. We decided to go to the duck pond because we had some bread. We thought it would only take us a second to walk through the park to the duck pond, but we were wrong. We trudged through the snow, me in my flats, and Jamal in sneakers, until we found the pond. By that time, my feet were numb, but I didn't want to say anything. We fed the ducks and then trudged back to the car. Jamal realized how cold my feet must be and turned the heat so it was directed on my feet all the way home. After that experience, I learned to always wear sneakers when we go, or even better, snow boots.
     That one event has led to a tradition. Jamal and I stop at the duck pond about once a month to feed the ducks. I swear they know us now and come running. Jamal calls me the "duck whisperer" because I can get the ducks to eat right out of my hand. He says that when he comes near that the ducks they just run the opposite direction squawking as they go.

ducks eating out of my hand this last spring

         When we walked up to the pond yesterday, there was a fence around it because it's winter and the park people want to keep park goers off the pond. As usual, as soon as the ducks saw us, they came swimming in our direction. I started to throw bread over the fence. Some of the ducks became brave and came out of the water onto the rocks next to the fence. Some ducks were even more brave and began flying over the fence to get as close as they could to me, and the bread of course. As soon as a couple ducks did it, the majority of the ducks followed. Soon, I had fifty or more ducks swarming around me, quacking like crazy to get to the food. They were hungry! I had one little duck that was especially hungry and kept pecking at my leg, and biting my pant leg. I would turn to give him a piece of bread and the pecking continued. Pretty soon I had ducks so close to me that they were walking across my shoes covering them in mud from the soft ground. I fed them all the bread I had, and then tried to maneuver my way out of the duck crowd. When we walked away, they continued to follow for a few minutes until they realized we had no more food. 

a panoramic view of me feeding the ducks

 
                                           

                                                            video of me feeding the ducks

      As the sweet guy he is, Jamal suggested afterwards that we go buy some duck feed so that we can give them something more nutritious. We looked online for what ducks eat and then headed to pet smart. We learned that ducks can eat any type of bird seed but they can also eat cracked corn or wheat. We couldn't decide what would be the best to get so we're going to do some more research. For all my friends out there (and I know some of you did or do have ducks), what do they like? What's your recommendation? 

     Have a great week! Oh, and to learn more about this park or to go yourself, click here.