But they're mine - as much as anything wild that shares our space here on Pollywog Creek is mine.
Muscovies may not qualify as one of God's most beautiful creations and they are considered to be a nuisance by most Floridians, they eat their weight in mosquitoes and larva, as well as, flies, spiders, and other insects. It's been said that they eat roaches like candy. For that fact alone, I'm more than happy they often call our little pond home.
Unlike most ducks, muscovies are quiet. The males might hiss and the females sometimes have a faint quack, that's more like a "pip," but if I don't see them, the only way I know they are here is if I hear them crash-land into the pond or they miss the mark and land on the roof. It happens.
I find them peaceful and entertaining - and a photography challenge. They will either fly or paddle away from me if they see me coming, but I enjoy trying to capture the iridescent feathers along their back as they glide across the surface of our pond.
ECHO {Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization} no longer keeps muscovies at their farm in Florida, but they have experienced success in developing countries throughout the world that have muscovies to control insects and as a food source.
I'm content to keep them off our dinner plates and happily munching on 'skeeters around the pond.
{Photos::the pond the last week of August on Pollywog Creek.}
