Muscovys Take Flight

     Muscovy ducks have always reminded me somewhat of an albatross. The drakes in particular are somewhat "dumpy," being less than streamlined, with the bulk of their weight hanging between their feet. During all of the years that we have raised Muscovys (Muscovies?), they have always been "ground" ducks.
     The last Muscovy that we had, before she met an untimely demise due to some predator, was the exception. That Muscovy black-and-white hen would use our driveway as a runway to make a gradual ascent into the air, and then fly over the rooftops of several nearby houses, before making a sharp 180-degree turn and gradually descend back to the ground in our garden.
     This past spring we obtained some Muscovy ducks again.
     (Sidenote: If anyone wonders why I would obtain some pets on a fixed income, when I might not be able to take care of the pets in the future due to my cancer: this was when I was working as a substitute teacher, fully expecting to resume full-time employment very soon. In other words, BEFORE I was diagnosed with cancer a second time.)
     This batch of Muscovys from Oklahoma seems much more airborne than the "Oregonian" Muscovys that we've had in the past. The three hens that we have, have already made a home of  "roosting" on the roof of a storage building that we have behind the house.
     The two white hens have even gotten into the habit of perching on the top of the cinder-block chimney that is beside the storage building! The third hen and one drake, meanwhile, are content to sleep on the corrugated roof of the storage building. Time will tell if the remaining albatrosses...oops, I mean Muscovy drakes...decide they are aerodynamically able to fly up on the roof.
     While I am somewhat concerned whether or not the rain can wash off the Muscovy duck "deposits" down the corrugated rooftop, I am somewhat relieved the ducks have found "higher ground" to sleep...making it virtually impossible for any opossum, raccoon, or dog, to grab one of the birds.
     "Angel," the only pure white Muscovy duck that we now have, has tapered wings and a fantail, and is streamlined like a dove. And because everyone knows that I like doves, Angel's appearance may explain why I have a rekindled interest in Muscovy ducks. They're no longer big ugly ducks that "hiss" instead of quack. :)