So Steve....

I had read, and I can't recall where, that the legs of mallards change as a result in increase blood flow. This is done "naturally" as the temperatures drop and the ice, ground, and snow that they are standing on require more blood flow to those extremities. This doesn't explain why other ducks legs don't turn red but at the time I read it it seemed like it made sense.
 
This doesn't explain why other ducks legs don't turn red ....


Thats 'cause they have black legs







sorry but you left it hanging out there and I just had to
 
the southern migration of ducks. I for one don't give a crap anymore about what the ducks are doing right now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my season is over, done, closed, kaput.

All I know is I'll be spending about an hour or so in the morning clearing a path thru a predicted 12++ inches of snow so I can drive thru more snow just to get to work. Damn, I'm looking forward to that! (ya, right) If I had wings I'd be in Missouri right now myself.

Somebody turn on my electric blanket, I'm going to bed.
 
This doesn't explain why other ducks legs don't turn red ....


Thats 'cause they have black legs







sorry but you left it hanging out there and I just had to

There are a number of other ducks that don't have black legs. Gadwall, Goldeneye and Shoveler come to mind right away.
 
Mark
Now that that migration thing has been settled,
can we talk about the lack of deer in Northern Wis.?
wis boz


They ate all the ducks, the ducks carried the avian flu and the deer all died and decayed. Sort of answers why we have seen no ducks and why there are no deer. A two-fer.

Mark W
 
Mark, I hope you got home in 45 min, it took me 2 1/2 hours to make the 26 mile drive. Maybe we should get some southerners to come here to teach drivers ed?? Good luck on the A.M. drive
 
In '04 there were ducks North of me and South of me and some mornings I would see anywhere from 0 to 4 birds. A discouraging yr to say the least.
I am noticing that there are "no bird" complaints from Washington, Minnesota, and New York. However, Missouri, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas, Tennessee, etc seem to be doing OK and I know here in Virginia I'm seeing more birds than I've seen since '03.
Some years we may just live on the wrong lattitude.


If you look at the radar right now, we're fixin to shoot some birds in the next few days!!! Ahhhh, glad it's here.....

Steve
 
Mark
That solves the lack of deer. Now with 18 inches of snow on the ground and still snowing and too packie for my snow blower I can rest easy and not worry.
wis boz
 
Ryan,

Has NOTHING to do with blood flow. Ducks have a counter-current blood flow through the legs to reduce heat loss. It's all hormonal.

Clint
 
saw probably 15k ducks sunday afternoon on a refuge where my birds come from... and saw maybe 3 flights of ducks that morning. Yesterday a friend went to that same refuge, and saw almost nothing.... they're crying the left us. They didnt leave us, we got 2 inches of rain sheetwater everywhere and they know a freeze is coming. they fed all day, and I bet all night. I bet the same refuge has a holding pattern over it right now they're so many birds trying to get in. 30 mph west nw winds today, and 24 tonight... wish itd stay above freezing cause that means no telling if and when they'll fly out to field tommorrow. Im hoping after the next 4 days I get to come back on here and tell you they are HERE, and they are RIGHT. So far they either not been here, or not been right. Second split opener tommorrow, and hoping for a blood bath... travis
 
Ryan,

Has NOTHING to do with blood flow. Ducks have a counter-current blood flow through the legs to reduce heat loss. It's all hormonal.

Clint

Clint / Steve, Thanks for the clarification on those red legs!
 
I just got un-stranded from Omaha, yesterday's epicenter of the blizzard. Thirty mph winds pushed the windchill into the minus-20s and undoubtedly chased a few plains birds down the Platte and Mo.
 
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