I had seen others do it and thought it would be fun. Not wanting to be cheap, I spared no expense and bought three loaves of sliced bread to feed to my feathered friends. As I pulled into the picnic area, I could see clusters of ducks scattered around and doing whatever ducks do; this included making duck do.

I exited my car and made my way to the water’s edge, three loaves hanging in hand. At first, the ducks showed little interest as I began to untwist the tie on the first loaf. As I did so, I noticed one little mallard began to waddle in my direction. If you are envisioning a cute, innocent, little duck, don’t be deceived. I too thought this but have later come to refer to him as “the scout”.

As the scout waddled toward me, I began to tear the first slice in half. I tossed it at him and watched the bread piece tumble awkwardly through the air before landing a few feet in front of him. This was when I learned that ducks can sprint.
The scout tripled his pace and quickly gobbled up that first piece. Amused, I threw him a second piece and watched him snatch it up as tenaciously as the first. Then it happened, I remember it clearly. I was tearing the second piece when the alarm was sounded. “Quack, quack, quack” cried the impatient scout so I quickly threw the second piece. That’s when I began to notice motion with my peripheral vision. His alarm had alerted nearby ducks and they began to waddle in my direction. I wasn’t worried yet, as there were only a few groups of two or three heading my direction. I began to tear the bread more quickly and dispersed it in front of me. The ducks scurried as they snatched up the pieces. Well if one must quack, they all must quack, and they did. I found myself addressing multiple ducks as they quacked and began to approach me.

It didn’t take me long to get through the first loaf. By the time I was done with it, I must have attracted 40 or more ducks. I then learned two more things. Birds of a feather are not the only ones that flock together and there is definitely a pecking order. As I tore into the second loaf (who has time for twist ties), I noticed that bigger ducks out maneuvered the smaller ones and would take bread away from them. I also began to realize that the air campaign was under way. Ducks literally began to fly into the area; but not just ducks, other smaller birds did so as well.The smaller birds were very quick as they would swoop down and snatch the bread pieces that were just out the ducks’ reach.