common merganser | lab bench to park bench

Female common merganser swimming with 12 ducklings behind her — *Photo by Don DeBold. Female Common Merganser and her ducklings. 2013. CC. https://flic.kr/p/esTJAQ*

Amelia: What a gorgeous day at the lake. Just me, some dragonflies …and about 20 ducklings. Woah, where did all the ducklings come from?

Common Merganser: Darned if I know.

A: Why, aren’t they yours?

M: I can’t be sure.

A: What do you mean?

M: I can’t recognize my own ducklings. I may have adopted some that got lost or abandoned. Let me check- yep, I have two new ones today.

A: How is that possible?

M: They’re pretty independent buggers. Ducklings will see a female that looks like their mom and just follow her.

A: Does that make more work for you?

M: Not really. The babies are feeding themselves with aquatic insects a few days after they’re born. After a week, they’re already diving for fish. All I have to do is lead them to good feeding areas, and keep them alive.

A: Is it difficult keeping them alive?

M: It can be- they’re pretty edible balls of fluff. Hawks, owls, eagles, even loons and pike would like to snack on them. But the babies know how to hide under river banks. They can even run across the water to escape. If protecting them gets to be too much, I meet up with some friends so we can look after each other’s babies in a group. It’s like ducky day care.

A: Cool! Would any of those predators try to eat you too?

M: Nope- I’m the apex predator in these parts. I can swallow a foot-long fish. You don’t mess with that.

A: Clearly not. Does your mate help out with the babies?

M: Nope. He took off while I was incubating the eggs. Joined a gang of males. I probably won’t see him until the winter, once the babies are off on their own. Maybe we’ll stay together another season, but maybe not- I’m keeping my options open.

A: Was incubating all those eggs on your own difficult?

M: It wasn’t ideal. I found a pretty good spot this year- an old woodpecker nest a few metres off the ground. It was cozy and full of wood shavings, but I added some feathers from my breast for extra insulation. With a set-up like that I can incubate up to 20 eggs.

A: Wow, 20 is a lot to lay!

M: Goodness, they’re not all mine. I lay about 10 every season.

A: Okay…so where are the extra eggs in your nest coming from?

M: A few of the neighbouring momma mergansers will lay an egg or two in my nest while I’m away. I’m doing the same thing in their nests, so it evens out.

A: That’s weird. Why not lay all your eggs in your own nest?

M: Haven’t you heard “don’t put all your eggs in one basket?” Laying my eggs in other ducks’ nests is an insurance policy in case my own nest is destroyed. It’s easy for egg-eating thieves like squirrels, raccoons and even northern flicker woodpeckers to clean out the nest while I’m gone hunting. I can’t be on the nest 24/7.

A: Okay, that makes sense. But it feels like cheating.

M: Oh please, everyone does it. I’ve even seen hooded mergansers and goldeneye ducks leaving my nest on occasion.

A: Wait, so you’re looking after ducklings that may not even belong to your species?

M: Yep, It’s entirely possible.

A: That is deeply weird.

M: Hey, I don’t discriminate as long as the ducklings can keep up. Thankfully they don’t stick around the nest too long after they hatch- it gets pretty crowded in there! Within a day or two they’ve jumped out and are ready to explore the water.

A: How long will you stay with the ducklings?

M: Maybe a month or two after they hatch. They won’t be able to fly, but they’ll be big enough to hold their own against predators. Typically the ducklings will join other groups of young and hang out together.

A: So once the ducklings are out of your hair, what are your plans for the winter?

M: I’ll probably stick around – you have rivers and lakes here that don’t freeze over. I spend most of my life on the water- I even sleep while floating. So open water is pretty important.

A: Understood! What kind of things do you eat?

M: Fish are my favorite, but I will also go for frogs, shrimp, mussels, crustaceans and worms. Sometimes I get some aquatic insects to spice things up.

A: So you’re telling me these lovely dragonflies buzzing around us…

M: Could be my mid-day snack.

A: Wow, you must be fast to grab a dragonfly!

M: You bet. We hunt by sight, usually ducking our heads underwater to look for prey. Once we see something interesting, we give a little jump and dive in. A dive usually takes less than 30 seconds, but I can dive for up to two minutes.

A: Cool! How to you manage to catch fish?

M: I have a pointed bill with serrations. Once I catch a fish, it’s not getting away.

A: Now that you mention it, that is pretty unusual for a duck’s bill.

M: It gets the job done. Heck, we’re such good hunters that often seagulls will follow us and try to grab our catch once we surface. A bald eagle even tried that on me a few times. Such cheek- get your own food!

A: Well, it’s been great talking to you, but I’d better let you get back to your family.

M: Thanks, with this many mouths to feed, we have a lot of ground to cover. Come on kids, race you to the other side of the lake!