This duck was not a duck that I actively sought out. Rather, he came to me the way many critters have come over the years, an unexpected offer from somebody who knew I might enjoy having him. And my soft heart, which is powerless at resisting, said yes.
Sir Francis is a male duck, and the term for a male duck is a drake. Obviously, therefore, his name is a nod to the Elizabethan gentleman, Sir Francis Drake, who lived from 1540 to 1596, and was an English sea captain and explorer. He carried out the second circumnavigation of the world from 1577 to 1580, during which he claimed what is now California for the English. Kind of a bummer that they didn't keep it. Oh well.
In any case, meet Sir Francis Drake II, who is a male call duck. Call ducks are bantam (i.e. small sized) ducks that are primarily raised for pets, but are also used in hunting to attract wild ducks. Obviously, that's not on the table for this duck!
He has lovely iridescent feathers and can show shades of green and blue depending on the light.
He currently lives in a large dog crate in the home office, but now that spring has more or less arrived here, an outdoor enclosure is in progress. He will eventually have a little duck hut and a fenced area with a kiddie pool. He will also have 1 or 2 girlfriends to keep him company. Right now he has a plastic tote for a bathtub. Here's the hut in progress.
Sir Francis has a tendency to chatter a bit during conference calls, which leads to some delight on the part of my colleagues, who think that having a duck on the call is good fun. As you can see he also sports a white spot on his chest, and a wee touch of brown on some of his feathers. He's very handsome.
2 comments:
Sir Francis is handsome and charming! Do you have a lead on some Call Duck ladies already?
He is so beautiful! I imagine your calls are interesting with the duck chattering in the background.
Can't wait to see how he likes his new outdoor home.
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