That's just WEIRD!

[Loupey]

So I go to a pond that I know is rapidly shrinking due to the dry weather we've been having. I shoot the normal suspects - cute here, cute there.

I see that there are frogs everywhere. My goal today was capture some frogs jumping after flying dragonflies. They were going hard at it but I didn't get any shots. Highly entertaining though

Then there's some commotion just off the bank - check out the last image of what comes walking back. It's not like it was an accident - she came up on the bank and went after it. After washing it like it was a piece of weed, she swallowed it.

And I thought they were strictly vegetarians :yikes:

[mjs1973]

Nice series Loupey. I like the frog in the hole the best.

Do ducks think they taste like chicken too?

[Knight]

Cool series Loupey , love them all

[scott-devon]

Very strange...I'd never have believed it, I too was sure they were vegetarians. That shot of the frog in the hole is great!

[polarbeardiggers]

i don't think thats natural to happen a duck eating a frog,lol, perhaps the frog just pissed off the hen, either way i do agree,thats weird, and i wouldn't believe it if i didn't see it,thanks for showing us.

[AmberC]

Well dont ducks eat small fish? I didn't think they were vegetarians... although I've never seen one eating a frog...

Great shots!

[Jaedon]

Once again an spectacular series Loupey.

They may just be opportunistic feeders. I know that Hamsters are all purely vegetarian but if one in the community dies they will eat the corpse. Same goes for a lot of rodent... maybe ducks are the same? Did it hunt the frog down or was it easy pickings?

[Loupey]

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and taking a look.

So it is weird. I shot a mallard pair earlier this year up in a tree near this spot. I must have crazy ducks in my area

mjs1973 - that is a great caption. Might have to print a copy just so I can type something along those lines in the border.

AmberC - I don't think they go after fish (live ones at least). Their bills are flat and smooth and not very powerful - not designed for lively prey.

Jaedon - opportunistic is what I was thinking too. There were three ducks together and they all looked to be juvenille. The water creatures were obviously stressed from the declining water levels. But I figured the ducks would just fly to another watering hole if they were stressed too (unless they were too young to fly any distances). After this incident, I watched all three for a while to see if they were actively targeting frogs. No other occurences. So this frog must have been a little too tempting. Not to mention that most of the frogs were bullfrogs about 1/3 the size of the ducks themselves. That would have been a great image of a duck trying to eat one of those

[livin4lax09]

Once again an spectacular series Loupey.

They may just be opportunistic feeders. I know that Hamsters are all purely vegetarian but if one in the community dies they will eat the corpse. Same goes for a lot of rodent... maybe ducks are the same? Did it hunt the frog down or was it easy pickings?

really? I had hamsters and could swear the mom ate the kids, and I don't believe they were dead. What a morbid thought, huh?

[Yarrow]

Very interesting with the duck. I would have never thought. Great capture for sure.

[mn shutterbug]

Poor little froggie. :cryin:

Some ducks are vegetarian and some are meat eaters. I recall this from my duck hunting days. Mallards always tasted better than something like shovelers because mallards were mainly vegetarian and shovelers eat mainly muddy fish. This may also have something to do with some ducks being considered puddle ducks and others are called divers. However, there is always the exception to the rule.

Thanks for sharing the cool photos.

[Loupey]

Last images from that day.

The duck-and-frog image here was moments after the smaller frog made the hors d'oeuvre tray. Would have been a big mouthful this one. But this frog got away

The 2nd one here made me think she's trying to hide from those carnivorous ducks

[Loupey]

I stopped by the pond last night. 5 ducks this time but no more attacks.

But I did find this large girl tucked away watching the action (she's missing something). Vicious these ducks are! Watch your children closely!!!

[AmberC]

Very cool Right now my pond out front is full of American Toad tadpoles. They are so cute, but the birds are feasting on them!!

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

Great set Loupey - Really like the Monarch shot - really stands out well against the mud! The one with the frog in the hole is a great shot! As said before the duck eating the frog is weird - but leave it to you to get a picture of it! I can just imagine what you think on your way home to process your shots "wait til they get a look at these shots over at PR !" *with a big grin on your face*

[Loupey]

... I can just imagine what you think on your way home to process your shots "wait til they get a look at these shots over at PR !" *with a big grin on your face*

LOL - hey, now!

OK, maybe sometimes, perhaps occasionally, maybe even often...

But since I don't review them until I get home, it's more like "I think I got that particular shot...wait til they get a look at these shots over at PR !" The best way for me to end a day is to sit on our deck with a cold one or in "my" spot on the sofa with a cold one while reviewing the shots of that day.

Oh, spending time with the wife and kids is good too

Thanks for the comments, Ben and Amber!

[mn shutterbug]

Looks like you captured one of the infamous deformed frogs. Excellent shot. I love the colors.

[AmberC]

AmberC - I don't think they go after fish (live ones at least). Their bills are flat and smooth and not very powerful - not designed for lively prey.

Ok Loupey.. this has just been buggin the H@@ out of me lol.. so I looked it up. Ducks do in fact eat small fish like I thought

I looked at several websites. Here is a link to one just so I can back myself up ;)

http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/ducks1.html

Amber

[Loupey]

Amber, thanks for clarification! I learned something new today

Here's some more info on the Mallard in particular:

http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/mallard.htm

Opportunisitic feeder indeed.

[AmberC]

Very cool

[paulnj]

Cool image of a mallard eating a frog! Though it's rare, I can't see why a dabbling duck can't eat meat once in awhile.