Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Spring has become my favorite season since moving to Las Vegas. The non-stop perfect weather in April and May is the primary reason.

Another reason which I first noticed a year ago is that the Mirage pond is home to many mallards who give birth to adorable little duckies every April. So, if you're in Vegas, and enjoy wildlife, you can actually see a little in the middle of this desert.

I tend to go up to the Mirage pond a couple days a week to feed the adult ducks. It was great yesterday when I first saw baby ducks walking through the grass near the sidewalk (I had been expecting them for a while now).

At present, there is just one family of four baby ducks. One of them is a bit of a badass. While his mother and three siblings swim around usually avoiding the other ducks, this one guy seems more than willing to interact with the other adult ducks and even fight with them over food. And, this baby duck can't be more than one week old.

I haven't take a camera up to the Mirage. So, here are some generic baby duck pictures.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/DSC00488.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...r/dscf2847.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...baby-ducks.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Dynasty,

I think you're a character in a novel and not a real human being.

-Michael

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Dave and I saw these on Saturday and were both ecstatic.

Imagine a city where pigeons have been replaced by ducks. That place would be named Heaven.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

bisonbison and I noticed the ducks. We also noticed that The Venetian has no pigeons. Maybe some copies are better than the original.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Dynasty,

Baby ducks are a mirage.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
Imagine a city where pigeons have been replaced by ducks. That place would be named Heaven.

[/ QUOTE ]

You clearly have no idea how much bigger duck poop is than pigeon poop. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

I was expecting a cool story about calling with 22 unimproved and busting a bluffer at a Vegas casino.

But this is pretty cool too. Did the Mirage bring these ducks in, or did they naturally migrate there?

ScottieK

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

You clearly have no idea how much bigger duck poop is than pigeon poop

Am I a street cleaner? No.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]

Did the Mirage bring these ducks in, or did they naturally migrate there?


[/ QUOTE ]

I'd guess they migrated there. In the summer and fall, there were about 12-18 adult ducks. In the past couple months, not nearly as many have been around.

Almost all the ducks will eat directly out of my hand. I can even get one of the females to jump/fly to about shoulder height to take a cracker out of my hand.

There are also some coots there too. This is a coot.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...Poker/coot.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Minneapolis is stocked full of ducks and Canadian geese-

I don't know that I would refer to Minneapolis as Heaven.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5...bpph9gn5ik.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

"Wtf my ducks, I want nigga"?

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

What's even better than ducks? Ducks AND chickens together. You see, the chickens are very particular about their water; used only for drinking and needs to be clean at all times. Ducks, on the other hand, are quite fond of taking baths in any and all bodies of water available to them, including the chickens' drinking water. Hilarity ensues...

Swede

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Guess they didn't care for the Venetian.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
You clearly have no idea how much bigger duck poop is than pigeon poop

Am I a street cleaner? No.

[/ QUOTE ]ever been to a public park that is packed with Canadian Geese? Guess what, the park is basically unusable. Those damn street cleaners need to clean the grass too!!!!!!

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

i like ducks, a lot. but i used to live right on the river and about a million ducks lived right under my deck. it was not what i would describe as heaven.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
"Wtf my ducks, I want nigga"?

[/ QUOTE ]

baha that's the way i read it as well

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

All you duck haters should realize that I don't care about the facts. Just picture ducks the size of pigeons hanging out on street corners.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
All you duck haters should realize that I don't care about the facts. Just picture ducks the size of pigeons hanging out on street corners.

[/ QUOTE ]yes, that would be excellent. Have you ever seen a Canadian Goose?

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
All you duck haters should realize that I don't care about the facts. Just picture ducks the size of pigeons hanging out on street corners.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've pictured it and mine eyes have seen the glory.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Coots are awesome.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Ducks, geese, and coots at Sunset park, too. As well as bunnies, squirrels, gophers, lizards, snakes... Wildlife is all around, man. All around you.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Does the badass duck let you pet him?

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

I had a pet duck when I lived out in the country. We hatched some in science class during 2nd or 3rd (can't remember which) grade, and then people who could take care of them took them home. My duck was awesome.

Also, loons are pretty badass:

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure...birds/loon.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
I had a pet duck when I lived out in the country. We hatched some in science class during 2nd or 3rd (can't remember which) grade, and then people who could take care of them took them home. My duck was awesome.

Also, loons are pretty badass:

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure...birds/loon.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

Loons don't shut the [censored] up.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

I saw the baby ducks last week. Very cute. I counted 12 of them. My camera phone sucks.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

This is like an urban Ray Zee post.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

I saw about a million baby ducks out in the lake while walking my dog this weekend. I live in "The Lakes" area of Vegas and I wonder how the ducks can stand that "fake" water. It looks like there are a ton of chemicals in there.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Wtf my ducks, I want nigga"?

[/ QUOTE ]

baha that's the way i read it as well

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who saw it like this.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

JBB,

Loons may not shut up, but they're still awesome in appropriate doses.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

We have random roving ducks on the UW campus. The other day some even stopped traffic.

Ducks are not bound by crosswalks [censored].

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

http://upload.localnetsys.com/upload/july05/nooooo1.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

Wow that's funny. That sewer must go to the Mirage.

ScottieK

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
We have random roving ducks on the UW campus. The other day some even stopped traffic.

Ducks are not bound by crosswalks [censored].

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe your ducks aren't, but I've seen them use crosswalks in Tucson. I was stopped at a busy intersection where I didn't think there was any water nearby and I saw a duck at the opposite corner. As soon as the light changed, the duck jumped off the curb and started walking crossing the road in the middle of the crosswalk. About 10 baby ducks jumped out of the bushes jumped out of the bushes behind her followed her across the road. It was so cute it hurt.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Wtf my ducks, I want nigga"?

[/ QUOTE ]

baha that's the way i read it as well

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who saw it like this.

[/ QUOTE ]
It's called reading. Top to bottom, left to right.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
http://upload.localnetsys.com/upload/july05/nooooo1.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the most tragic picture I have ever seen in my life.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
http://upload.localnetsys.com/upload/july05/nooooo1.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the most tragic picture I have ever seen in my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

I posted this last year and someone mentioned it was photoshopped. A sick part of me wishes it was an actual picture. Maybe it actually is.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dynasty,

Baby ducks are a mirage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've seen baby ducks before... but never baby pigeons. Strange.

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5...bpph9gn5ik.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

http://lifedistilled.com/images/147/dwight.jpg

Re: Baby Ducks at the Mirage
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
http://upload.localnetsys.com/upload/july05/nooooo1.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the most tragic picture I have ever seen in my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

I posted this last year and someone mentioned it was photoshopped. A sick part of me wishes it was an actual picture. Maybe it actually is.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not photoshopped as much as I think that the images don't directly follow eachother.

Also, you are evil for hoping that it's real and I am going to fight you.