Saw two young mallards this afternoon in a small drainage pond in the parking lot of Rainbow in Cottage Grove. They were diving for food. I mean they were diving like a real diver. I timed one of the dives - they were completely submerged for 12 seconds! - and then reappeared 20-30 feet from the point of entry. I know they were mallards because when I approached the pond, the hen mallard came out of some vegetation on the other side of the pond and swam to her kids. They went to her right away.
Has anyone ever seen this kind of behavior? I actuall got out of my car (unhappy motorists did not appreciate the traffic jam) to watch for a bit. Larry Sirvio
