The X-Ducks of Wisconsin

Howdy all, I was recently reminded that we are half way through the steamy month of July and there is yet to be a post on the blog. You would think with how hot it has been in the last two weeks I’d be cranking out post after post in the comfort of my air conditioned den. On the contrary, I’ve been swamped with activities as of late which has included wrapping up phase one of my summer project (literally put the last piece in that phase a mere two hours ago) and a healthy (or not) dose of heat running conditioning needed for the Bix race at the end of the month. I do not want a repeat of the Steamboat race and it looks like there has been some improvement based on my recent Bix@6 training run (93-95 out when the training race started last Thursday and it went quite well). The good news is all the post processing work on this month’s series of posts is already complete!   …and just what is the topic this month…

After much thought and contemplation I’m going with the birds captured during our photo shoot taken  in Wisconsin over Easter. Tragically, this means another month (at least) will pass before getting to the Indy Zoo pictures and the birds of Banner Marsh.

It’s quiz time.  Any guesses as to what that water fowl is (note, these are all non-shopped)?

If you can identify it, please feel free to let me know.  As far as I can tell this is another mutant specimen.  If you recall, this is not the first mutant to grace these pages.  The mallard derivative from the Emoquon series certainly fits this category (link here).    This strange bird has more of the duck features than the goose characteristics in that previous one.  It was also easier to pick out the main ingredients that made that bird.

This on the other hand doesn’t really match anything.  The dominant white and the the black tail feathers would put it somewhere in the Snow Goose realm (or just the white neck and orange beak has traits of an Embden Goose), but it took the stature of a smaller duck.

it that wasn’t fun enough, let’s move on to mutant specimen number 2 and 3.  The one on the right looks like someone sawed the head off the one above and slapped a better Mallard head on it.  Those Mallards must really like to sow their oats.

Shifting to the one of the left.  They were hanging together so the assumption is they were mates.  The left is likely the female due to the dominant male Mallard coloring on the right one.  It looks closer to an Eskimo Sandwich than it does a duck.  The breast feathering almost has a turkey composition and nothing in the reference books really showed markings that chocolaty.

Hit the jump to see even more strange waterfowl.

You might be asking yourself about this time where in the hell were these ducks captured.  We were actually traveling between Wisconsin State Parks near Baraboo when I spotted a group of ducks enjoying a pond near a hotel parking lot.  Never wanting to pass up an opportunity to get shots of waterfowl I made Linda pull off the highway and head over there for a look see.  It ended up being a mini Island of Dr Moreau.  Of the 15 or so specimens there, none of them really looked normal.  Makes you wonder exactly what was in the water.  Probably the most normal duck was the one below.

AAAFFFFLAAC.  Again, the overall stature doesn’t match exactly with the domestic Pekin Duck, but if you are forced to wager that is a better option than nothing.  Interesting enough, I could not find any non-domesticated duck that was all white.  I shall call this one Donald.

Okay, as a warning, if you get queasy at the sight of the bizarre, this might be a good time to stop reading this particular post.  If you enjoy the freak, this next bird is for you.  Dr. Frankenstein dug up a rooster, an eagle and a duck, sewed it all together and zapped it with lightening.  In any other setting this would have looked really strange.  What am I talking about, this is still scarier than a convention of clowns carrying ducks (sorry, inside joke).

This gives all new meaning to the term Ugly Duckling.  Staring at the largeness of it through the big glass managed to give me the shivers.  Note, Linda decided to stay in the safety of the car

I hope you enjoyed these X-Duck shots.  I promise to bring more traditional birds with the remaining posts… in fact as a teaser I was able to capture at least one brand new bird to my collection (and as yet I have not completely identified it yet).  Now I am hoping the heat has died down a bit so I can get my long run in for the week.  It was well over 90 when I looked at 3 when I decided producing a post would be a better idea.