I Love Missy

Missy, Mama's Girl 

I Love Missy, the female mottled duck that dropped into my life on April 4, 2026 and on July 4th left and has not been seen since.

She and her fellow Mister, gave me 90 days of Fun and love. 

Can your find the ducks? look in the center by the rocks. This is the Bird Buffet, caused by 6 years of drought. The perfect environment for birds. 

You might not know, that wild ducks follow a routine, the same exact routine every day. At sundown, they float huddled in the middle of Duck Haven Pool Pond

At first Light, they chase each other around the pool, and just before daybreak, they stand on the top step, Staring at the spot the sun comes up, and when the sky is white, they waddle to the Oil Pan Oasis and  eat seeds of the grass, dip beaks in water pan, and wander to the other end of the yard, to graze eating, grass, seeds and dirt. 

Next they jump in the pool, bathe and wave wings, climb out on steps to preen and are gone until some time around 10 they come home for lunch and siesta by one of our 4 duck/bird oasis pans.

They were in and out, at 10 and 2 and gone till dark.

They joy and laughter they brought came from their daily antics. Missy would come to the door and peck and then jabber talk, Bob would yell, your girl is at the door and when I went out to talk to her, she chattered back. She had 3 different calls, she chattered to me, making prrrp prrp  prrp sounds. A long loud QUACK was a call for Mister to come to her.. He would leave the yard and a Quack would bring him right away.

We found that ducks do not land in the pool, they drop out of the sky butt first, with a splash like a rocket returning from space, one day while I was clearing debris from the pool

Missy was alone and had been, standing in the oil pan oasis she emitted 3 Reall Loud Quacks! Mister had been gone for hours.

I was shocked and splashed with water when suddenly Mister dropped from the sky like a rock, Swam to the lip of the pool, climbed out and walked over to her and put his wings on his hips and said WHAT! I know it because I saw it and heard it.

I burst into laughter, since I recognized the same Attitude Bob used to use on me when he was in his workshop and I called out to him to come.

 Bob was sitting in his wheel chair by the pool, Mister did his drop from the sky, he just materialized and dropped, we never saw him coming. Bob burst into laughter too

3 weeks ago, we got a 15 minute hard rain, 2 inches

the backyard flooded to the edge of the deck, dirt floated, it was a huge mud puddle.

 This photo was taken out the window and the water had gone down a little and I could not find them. Looking out the window, I realized that they were laying down in the mud, and diving their heads under the sludgy mud.  I stood for half an hour watching them in their mud spa/bath describing to Bob what they were doing.

Yes, they washed off in the pool which was a real floor show for me.

Two weeks before the 4th of July, everything changed, before that week, they came and went together. 

For 10 weeks,

The ducks were at the door, 

sitting on the lip of the pool, 

view from our breakfast bar at lunch

they were always standing/sitting on the lip to the pool, 

and for 3 weeks she did not leave the yard. 

Mister came and went, gone for hours at a time, but came if she quacked.

she sat on the fake nest, with no eggs and waited. 

She would QUACK and he would come.

He came home each night to sleep in the pond with her.

The week before the 4th, she called and called and he would not come, he came at night to sleep, but no matter how she called he did not come.

My heart hurts for her and I spent a lot of time talking to her.

One day, I said, Missy I am thinking he is cheating on you. I came inside and asked AI  Do Mottled Ducks mate for life?

NOPE! just for 3 months, while she has Babies, then the Male moves on, never to return, and yes, if he finds another female he starts all over again. It is my opinion that Mister was cheating, before he got his divorce.

The night of the 4th of July One of our neighbors chose to do fireworks in his yard that sounded like D Day,  of WWIII for 5 hours.

Since that night, we have not seen Missy or Mister, or seen any birds or other wild life. Even the lizards are gone.

I am sad for me, glad they are off doing whatever they do.

They were a huge part of my life. AI says they maybe come back home, next year in January. They have been known to remarry.