George and Weezy

Recently, two Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) found there way to our campus to join the other myriad of feathered fowl already living there. Now we have Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), and Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). The Buffleheads and mergansers will move on in the spring, but for now they are fun to watch as they dive under the water and pop up like corks a few feet away from their diving spots.

No one knows for sure how the newcomers came to be there, but they have created a little controversy among the employees. Some people like them; some hate them. They are really friendly and will look up at you as if they are trying to carry on a conversation with you. For those reasons, we seem to think they were on someone's farm or home and they dropped them off there. In fact, they are so charming, we in the DC office have named them "George" and "Weezy" after The Jeffersons because they "finally got a piece of that pie" and have moved "up to the East Side" (East Millbrook Road).

For a while, they were standing at the front door all day and sometimes would even block the door. Sometime, they would even chase after someone coming up the walkway and once one of them flew up into the face of an employee exiting the building. She is a slightly snooty individual and that scene didn't set well with her. I think she probably just startled the duck when she opened the door. I can understand why the company would not want them at the door because they could create a bit of a mess. There was talk of giving them to an employee that has a small farm, but as of Friday, they were still there. They haven't been near the door lately. Mostly I have seen them grazing on the dam. I think that the reason they were at the door was because it was a new place for them. Now that they are familiar with their new home, they are mingling with their feathered neighbors more.

Personally, I really hope they are able to stay. They add some character to the assorted bird life living on campus. It's not everyday that one finds a feathered creature willing to cavort with us humans and seems to want to be in close contact with us. The people that don't want them there need to take a second look and learn to appreciate them for what they are and what they give us in return.