Ready for their summer home in more ways than one

A majority of migratory duck species form pairs in their wintering ground developing bonds at the fag end of the winter-migratory season. This behaviour spares them the effort of a courtship at their breeding ground.

Around the crepuscular hour on February 25, at Perumbakkam wetland, a male and a female northern shoveler scuttle through a squiggly line of water that cuts through a rapidly-drying landscape. They are nibbling on an “early dinner” in characteristic northern-shoveler style. The movements of these two northern shovelers are often marked by a degree of synchronicity. Where one goes, the other follows.

They use their flat and wide bills in the same manner a gardener would a lawn mower — head down and keeping the machine right on the grassy ground. The ducks strain the mixture of mud and water they have picked up in their bills and find their food. They cover the entire distance of the squiggly line once, go back over covered ground, and then cover it one more time. All the while, they engage in their characteristic feeding behaviour. Even while not feeding, they exude an air of inseparableness. The attraction seems as powerful as the pull opposite poles of magnets exert on each other. Considering they are still in their wintering ground, what is happening? Here is a slightly long-winded answer to that. Nature militates against procrastination.

It invests heavily in preparation. That defining feature of Nature shows up in stunning resplendence in migratory birds. The preparation for the business related to their breeding ground begins much before that faraway land heaves into sight. They change their colours in the wintering grounds, the drab replaced with the striking, a phenomenon particularly noticed in the males of those species that display sexual dimorphism. At the Perumbakkam wetland, one can see a majority of the species in partial breeding plumage, and some fully attired for what lies ahead in the breeding ground. The dabbing ducks have shed their wintering overalls for their Sunday best. The male in every species of dabbing duck that signs up for a winter stay in these parts makes quite an impact with its breeding plumage. When it comes to preparations for what lies ahead at the breeding ground, ducks are prepared in more ways than one.

Pairs are formed in the wintering ground close to the time of departure for the summer home. The time spent feeding would double as bonding time. This preparedness spares the ducks the effort of courtship on arrival at the breeding ground.