Manic Mandarin

thebeard · #1 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 10:26 AM

At bestwood country park in nottingham this year there has been a Mandarin duck with an identity crisis, hanging round with the greylags, and generally being trouble. When i went down all seemed to be calm - i think it saw itself as part of the family as it was around the same size of the goslings.

However it wasn't always smiles and sunshine - i think there was a bit of aggro before it finally got accepted into the group. someone has posted a series of pictures on the BCP forum which are worth a look at - this little bird is a bruiser!!!!

bestwood-country-park.co.uk - View topic - Mandarin Shenanigans.

Deb London · #2 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 10:30 AM

Goodness me. And you say it looks like part of the family now?

accipter · #3 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 10:42 AM

Is it the only mandarin there, if so its probably just lonely

Cowgirl · #4 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 11:41 AM

Loved the pictures, made me laugh, what a feisty little chap. I'd be tempted to smuggle a female mandarin in just to keep the peace.

I used to have a bantam cockeral like that, used to try & dominate the hens (which were twice the size) but they just used to bounce him off their chests, never deterred him tho'

captaincarot · #5 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 12:18 PM

that's the strange thing about mandarins a single male is invariably a nightmare, but once there's a few of them they become far less trouble some than malards.

i can go down the road where there is a fock of around 50 of them and there's never any trouble, but one landed on the canal last christmas and spent 3 weeks attempting to fight everything

thebeard · #6 (**permalink**) 20-09-2010, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb London

Goodness me. And you say it looks like part of the family now?

haha yes, it seemed quite calm when i saw it back in may. who knows another might pop up at some point.
Theres a single male mandarin at colwick park who is completely different. Calm as anything and just follows the mallards around

Calm as!