NikonGear'23

Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: elsa hoffmann on May 28, 2016, 19:26:33

Title: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 28, 2016, 19:26:33

Twice a day - the ducks are taken on a duck run to clean the vineyards of snails and things.
This wine estate has been making use of ducks for couple of years now
These long thin skinny things are runner ducks  - and there are over a thousand of them on the farm.
Of course that middle pic is a goose - hand raised and tame. 

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: BW on May 28, 2016, 19:52:27

This is really something else. Love the last one. Surreal Elsa.

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Fons Baerken on May 28, 2016, 19:55:15

workers in the field, serious army of birds

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 28, 2016, 19:59:22

Thanks for looking Fons and BW :)

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Jakov Minić on May 28, 2016, 20:07:40

Fascinating!
And adorable :)

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on May 28, 2016, 20:08:06

Impressive pictures... Reminds me of the geese used to keep the Scottish whiskey distillery at night, makes quite a noise when strangers are felt and can be dissuasive physically... :o

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 28, 2016, 21:36:32

Thanks Jakov  :-*

Jaques - geese are known for being excellent watchdogs and are kept by many farmers for that purpose. And since Goose doesnt seem to be a preferred dish - they are pretty safe  ;D

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Akira on May 29, 2016, 02:30:34

Interesting, hilarious and spectacular at the same time.  Thanks for sharing, Elsa!

Here in Japan, some organic farmers use dabbling ducks in their rice fields for the same purpose.  Very good method.

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: armando_m on May 29, 2016, 04:01:14

wow!

nice shots Elsa, fascinating to see so many ducks walking

how come they don't fly off?

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: FredCrowBear on May 29, 2016, 04:04:15

Love the last one.  The commute to work!  Great stuff.

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 29, 2016, 07:28:10

Akira- it's such an "organic" way to farm - but with our instant way of living - people forget the old ways of doing things worked just as well.

Thanks Armando - I loved watching them!  These ducks do not fly and only rarely form nests and incubate their own eggs

Thanks Fred - they seem to love doing this :)

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: John Geerts on May 29, 2016, 09:46:14

Lovely ducks !!     Cultivated ducks?  They look much thinner and taller than our wild ones.

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Bruno Schroder on May 29, 2016, 10:43:47

Wow, so "never seen", fascinating. 3rd one reminds me of the start of the Brussels marathon :)
Great stuff

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Alaun on May 29, 2016, 12:28:00

nice and unusual!

I assume, these are "runner ducks" and it is obvious, why they got that name ;)

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 29, 2016, 14:01:23

John - cause they are runner ducks - ugly in my opinion.
Thank you Bruno!
Alaun - indeed :)

thanks everyone

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsid on May 29, 2016, 14:34:37

Excellent and original photos Elsa. Geese were used in ancient Rome as "alarm sounders".

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 29, 2016, 16:04:49

Thank you Elsid  :)

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Kim Pilegaard on May 29, 2016, 17:10:36

Great story and pictures!

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 29, 2016, 18:02:33

Thank you kindly Nikea

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: Thomas G on May 29, 2016, 18:13:44

Wow - very nice shot, this is an impressive bio army. Your capture is transferring some eagerness, the ducks are really on it.

I know of a house where they keep 2 of these ducks to clean up a large vegetables garden.
These 2 seem constantly hungry, they also consume whatever snail is offered them over the fence.
Let's me thing about the guzzling force of this large herd.

Thanks for showing.

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 29, 2016, 18:16:14

They do seem to be eating all day long!

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: FredCrowBear on May 30, 2016, 03:52:16

Elsa:  Is this the vineyard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya3Rk0BSmqg

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: tommiejeep on May 30, 2016, 06:56:48

Elsa, that third image could actually be very scary in a different setting.  Looks like an Army ready for an Attack .  The last image is cool  :) .  Thanks for sharing these.  Geese can be nasty things , a Stud Farm, near Henley on Thames, had large black goose that terrorized Janette :D .   It did not help that we had just had lunch at a country Pub that had several bottles of  Pouilly-Fumé at an exceptionally good price  :D

Akira, ducks are being used by some Indian rice growers also but they provide a secondary revenue stream.   Years ago I had a Christmas lunch of Curried Duck at a fashionable London restaurant.  Have not seen any local rice paddy ducks on a menu yet  :(
Tom

Title: Re: Duck Run
Post by: elsa hoffmann on May 30, 2016, 08:33:30

Fred - yes it is :)

Tom - I have heard about Geese being a tad difficult...