Bob

A lovely lady has asked to see a picture of Bob.

Bob is the Mystery duck who arrived out of the blue a few years ago.
It really was strange as nobody keeps Muscovy ducks nearby yet she seemed quite healthy.

She hung around the big shed for a while and we fed her - we did not go too close as she was a bit nervous plus I had no idea what she was.

Bob is ENORMOUS. I was puzzled as she looked like a duck but was the size of a goose. She did not quack but hissed and peeped. At first we thought it was a male (hence Bob) but she made a nest in the hay shed and laid a clutch of eggs.
Poor thing sat on the eggs for ages and refused to leave the nest so we left bowls of food and water as near to her as we could. She hissed if you went near.

Sadly, the eggs never hatched but Bob finally left her nest and tentatively began to explore the farm. She seemed quite lonely so I found a tiny drake as a companion. I could not find another Muscovy in the area and that made her even more mysterious.
Bob and SmallDuck wandered the farm together happily, looking with mild distain at the feral hens and splashing  about in the permapuddle (the size of Lake Michigan) in front of the kitchen window. SmallDuck would be the more vocal of the two and Bob stopped hissing, making tiny 'peep' noises instead.

We were very sad to see Bob waddling around on her own one day and we never did find SmallDuck again. We did, however, see the postman fly up the farm track one day in summer and deliberately aim for Bob. He was laughing.....

My husband quietly put up a big gate at the end of the farm road that same day and nailed a postbox to the oak tree on the roadside. He would never admit it, but he loves Bob as much as we do.

This morning, she flew from the hayshed and peeped quietly waiting to be fed. She likes to be fed from a dish and she trusts me enough to feed from my hand. I think it is easier for her to spoon the feed into her bill. Her plumage has changed colour but will change again in Spring.

I will look for a male Muscovy next year and hope that Bob is happy with her companion.

We are really lucky to have found her.