I 49.2:M 29 /2 

A Summer in the Life of Wil... 

published in cooperation with 

THE GRAND TETON NATURAL HISTORY ASSOC. 

Moose, Wyoming 83012 

Art and Text by Kent Olson 

1989 
1. 

A brisk west wind stirs the prairie 

grasses. It is early spring and the 

grasslands are alive with the sights and 

sounds of another growing season. Nestled 

down, deep within the tall grasses and 

wildflowers, a hen mallard carefully tends 

her nest. The eggs, nine in all, lie cradled 

in the nest which is lined with down 

plucked by the hen from her breast. 

Above the eggs, the hen sits warming 

them with her body. She is incubating the 

eggs, keeping the embryos inside the eggs 

warm until they are fully developed and 

ready to hatch. 

Only briefly does she slide off the nest 

to take a break. Before she leaves, she 

rearranges the down in her nest to cover 

the eggs. This layer of down will keep the 

eggs warm while she's gone. After drinking 

and feeding, she'll hurry back to the nest 

to resume incubation. Patiently, she waits 

for the eggs to hatch. 

\~ 
Twenty days have began incubation . passed since she 

eg . . Five mo gs will hatch. re days and the 

She has sel Tall ected a good . , dense native place to nest 

sides and form grasses wall her in o . Sh a canop n all 

e feels secure A Y over her head 

good place to r~ar ~~arby marsh will b~ a 

they hatch. e ducklings after 

The small cal . during th endar is used t activity oZct;ar a particularo show when 

often b egin . nesting s. For exam 1 in AP ~. mallards pnl. 

2. 
3. 

Meanwhile, a quarter mile away, a red 

fox is just completing his evening rounds. 

so far, the hunt has been a bust. This is a 

senses his approach, vet sits tight, not 

wanting to desert her nest of eggs so 

close to hatching. 

Suddenly, the fox catches a scent-a 

heavy, unmistakable smell, not of mallard, 

but of-coyote. coyotes may kill foxes that 

trespass on their turf and this fox is well 

inside the coyote's territory. Old Reynard 

retreats-quickly. The hen mallard relaxes, 

for she and her nest have been spared. 
Five days later, right on schedule, the 

ducklings emerge from the eggs. All make 

it but one who was too weak to chip its 

way out of the egg. 

The hen mallard is indeed fortunate to 

have hatched her eggs, for far more duck 

nests are destroyed by predators than 

hatch. This is her second nest of the 

season, the first having been broken up 

by a skunk five weeks earlier. 

Quickly, the ducklings dry off, each 

looking like a tiny, energized fuzz ball. Now 

the hen must lead them quickly to the 

relative safety of the nearby marsh. The 

ducklings fall in behind the hen as she begins . 

a forced march through the tall grasses. 

4. 
5. 

.. g walk, the long t,nn f Finally, after a th~ shallow waters o 

grasses give way to 

a beau t·,ful marsh. 

---
This will be their home for the next 

three to four months. Here they will find 

water, shelter and food, but they, in turn, 

will become food for other animals, if 

they are not careful. 

Mother mallard will quickly give her 

ducklings a crash course on survival. A 

good "rule of feather" will be to avoid 

creatures larger than themselves. She 

teaches them to respond to different calls, 

each with a distinct meaning. one highpitched, rapid call means to scatter. 

Another instructs them to get behind her, 

and a third informs them to freeze right 

where they are. To a large extent, their 

survival will depend on how well they 

respond to these calls. 

oucklin~Js grow fast, and reach full size 

in only 8-10 weeks. They feed early and 

late in the day on an abundance of insects 

and other small aquatic organisms which 

provide the necessary protein for rapid 

growth. During the heat of the day, they 

often rest in the shade of marsh 

vegetation along the edge of the marsh. 

6. 
7. 

Three weeks pass and the ducklings 

now resemble gangly teenagers. 

The eight have become six ducklings. 

one failed to obey the hen's call, panicked 

and moved instead of remaining still, and 

became a meal for a gull gliding overhead. 

Another unknowingly swam too close to a 

large snapping turtle and was quickly 

gulped down. 
f 

l 

] 

Eight weeks have now gone by since 

the ducklings left the nest. They are the 

same size and color as their mother. The 

long, stiff feathers in their wings that 

make flight possible are almost grown to 

full length. 

Each day, they strengthen their wing 

muscles by frequently rearing up in the 

water and beating their wings. The time 

to solo has come. 0 0 

In the course of a few days, each duck 

lifts off the water and becomes airborne 

for the first time. Awkward, even clumsy 

at first, they soon learn the marvelous, 

8. 

One young duck's flying days are shortlived. Rapidly descending to the marsh, a 

telephone line is seen too late to avoid 

hitting the wire. Its neck broken, the duck 

splashes down for the last time. Its carcass 

washes ashore to provide the evening 

meal for a family of raccoons. 

of nine eggs. These ducks have survived 

the hazards of growing up. They and the 

hen mallard will join the large flocks that 

fly south in October. 

Late summer is a time of preparation 

for wild ducks. Lots of food and plenty of 

exercise make up their daily routine. small 

flights of ducks whistle overhead as wing 

muscles are strengthened for the 1,soo 

mile-long flight to the wintering grounds. 

Activity in the marsh is intense as 

ducks bob and tip for food. Marsh plants, 

rather than insects, now make up much of 

their diet. 

10. 
11. 

A feeling of restlessness stirs the 

marsh. Temperatures are sliding downward 

in t he face of a stiff north wind. High 

above, long lines of ducks and geese ride 

the north winds south. Five young 
Their journey south will present new 

hazards; only three of the five will fly 

north next spring. Yet, for these three and 

the other ducks that will accompany 

them, a native grassland and a prairie 

marsh await. It is a place-a special placereserved to meet the needs of wild 

mallards and other wildlife. 

12. 
13. 

Fortunately, this marsh has been 

purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

abundant wildlife of native prairies. 
Isn't it nice to know that somewhere 

on this planet, a prairie grassland and 

marsh have been reserved for wild 

mallards and other wildlife? A place where 

mallards can replenish their kind during 

the summer months. A place where future 

generations of wild mallards can lift into a 

fall sky to ride the north winds south to 

the wintering grounds. 

4% ..g:f -{f 

- /J #!JlLJ_ f- ------- --~~- -

14.