
TOBY BABIES!
All Photos by Dennett
These photos aren’t great but the best I could do at the time. Our Muscovy ducks (nicknamed Tobies in our home) disappeared for more than a month. Now we know why — six ducklings!
There are five adults in this Toby family, one of which is a daughter from the spring brood. Although we didn’t see the spring ducklings, I imagine mama duck had six or more eggs. Perhaps eggs were stolen by predators, perhaps some didn’t hatch. Out of the ones that did, only one female survived. Her parents introduced her to us in April when she looked to be about three or four months old. She is still in residence with her parents, although we sometimes see her alone. The other two adults appear to be a young couple.

The few times Tobies appeared in the last month, we saw only the new couple and the young female. They always came from the area of our lake that rounds a bend — an area that is less populated, more wooded. They’d dine on the cracked corn we put out and leave quickly, swimming around the bend in a straight line, male duck in front.
Once eggs are laid, it takes about 35 days for them to hatch. The mother keeps her ducklings close for 10–12 weeks. Papa duck and any other adults in the group also remain nearby, providing protection and giving the young ones foraging lessons.


During their visit, mama remained in the water with the ducklings while the other adults ate. When he was full, papa duck took over the childcare duties and mama duck came up on the shore to eat. Ain’t that typical, the guy eats first!

