Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
A Red Faced Duck at Coulon Park
We’re in a deep freeze here in the Northwest, but I bundled up anyway and went for a walk at Coulon, hoping to find some red for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge. I started near the hotel where there were lovely reflections in the water and a bit of red above.
I continued on my walk and found red winter berries and red twig dogwood.
I saw a wonderful assortment of ducks and birds and geese, though none were red.
But then I saw a red-faced duck, perhaps the homeliest I’d ever seen.
I talked with a woman who was watching him. ‘Kind of a loner,’ she said, ‘he doesn’t seem to belong.’
A Muscovy duck, perhaps domesticated. Her friend liked to feed him corn and had gone to get some.
He was friendly. He wiggled his rump, feathers wagging like a dog’s tail, a beautiful shade of green, with scalloped edges; I decided he was handsome after all.
He perked up as if to pose, and raised his feathers on top,
till I thought he looked a bit like Elvis.
My new friend, a red faced duck.
I’ll look for Elvis the next time I visit, maybe with some corn. But don’t tell anyone, you’re not supposed to feed the ducks.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Elvis The Duck! So cute. 😊
Thanks, John! 🙂
You’re welcome, Susanne. 😊
Elvis, I love it! 😀
🙂 🙂
A face only his mother could love, but oh, what a coat!
Right? But his personality was so charming and that black top was gorgeous! 🙂
Beautiful rosy reds images, Suzanne! Oh, but the red faced Muscovy duck is special! Elvis is perfect. He almost looks like a cross between a mallard and a turkey vulture!! 😳
I thought he was so homely when I first saw him! But after watching him awhile, I realized he was quite charming, especially with that handsome black ‘hair’ on top! 🙂
My friend had a pet Muscovy duck for years! He was so cute, and acted like a little dog. He would play with a ball and had his own little “duck house” in their backyard!😀
I get it! This duck did act like a dog, all friendly and wagging his tail! 🙂 🙂
He is quite unique. He looks like a cross between a turkey and a duck!
Yes, very unique! I’d never seen one quite like this, and after I got past his homely looks, I was quite charmed by him! 🙂
Thank you for feeding corn! I certainly won’t tell…
I haven’t fed him yet, but I’m tempted! 🤩
Of course! He’s handsome and deserving!
That is a pretty duck.
I think so too, but I didn’t think so at first!
Maybe he’ll turn out to be a swan!
That would be quite a transformation!
I can’t say I’m drawn to his face but the sheen on his feathers is lovely! Some other beautiful birds too, especially the heron and bald eagle 🙂
Thanks, Sarah. His feathers were beautiful but it was his personality that won me over! And I Ioved seeing the eagle and heron, too. ☺️
I like the friendly red-faced duck, and I am glad someone was feeding it corn.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. At first I thought he was homely, but he had such a charming personality and was so friendly, I grew to like him. And I was happy too, that someone was looking out for him, especially since they thought he didn’t really belong there.
Lovely shots and great selection of bird life. And, yes, Muscovy ducks have that red mask and the males have many more knobs on theirs. I’ve had lady Muscovy ducks at home in our yard for almost 10 years now (our initial two we hatched from 2 eggs). The ladies also have masks but they are a bit more refined on the females. I have one white Muscovy with blue eyes and I think her mask only makes her look cooler. No matter how they look to the observer, I have to say they have great personalities. 💜 Glad you happened upon one.
Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed learning about them! This one in the park was so friendly! 😊