Mandarin Duck in NYC

A male Mandarin has, to the delight of local birders, been hanging out on a Central Park pond. Here's a piece from the Times.

​https://www.nytimes.co​m …ck-central-park-pond.html

Nice video! Wasn't so stable, but I manage to enjoy the beauty of that duck!

I find that odd that most people that have seen this duck thinks that it flew from China!
I lived in the Dallas, Texas area and we had two of these at different lakes about 20 or more miles apart, now I have read that the people that have seen this duck (and named it, "Manny") think, or wonder if it's not the same duck. One can look online and see where to buy these ducks to raise, it's not hard to do. Some will eventually escape, or a person that raises them might decide to 'decorate' the land with them, not realizing that might not be a good thing, it might end up replacing the Wood Duck, or interbreeding with it.

One of the ducks that was in Dallas was at a lake called, "White Rock", it was there for the entire Winter I believe that it left after it molted, I say that because I remember people saying that the duck was white afterwards.
The other duck was seen a few years later, it was in a park in Irving, Texas, about a mile and a half from me, it stayed there most of the Winter, if not all of it, (I got tired of shooting it) well, they also named that one, "Manny", although I was with a friend one day and she discovered it and named it, "Mandy", because the other one was already named, "Manny". Most everyone that knew of the one at White Rock immediately assumed that it was the duck from there. (That duck made that place really popular, I used to shoot that place alone, I was the only photographer that ever shot ducks and birds there, until someone told the paper or T.V. about it a couple of months after my friend found it, then loads of people showed up)

Now, the people in Dallas think this duck is, "Manny" from Dallas, I mean, yeah, it is possible, but hardly likely.

A couple of years there was some Snowy Owl sightings here too, same areas almost, one was around 2011 or so, the other was last year. The difference is, last year there were two separate sightings of them, both at the same time, and rumors of a third, so rare sightings can, and do, happen.

I know, this sounds like a rant, I am surprised that people don't realize that these ducks are rare to see here in the U.S., but it is not that impossible to see one, or, raise them here, and, some could escape.
I just find it very odd that a news station and a newspaper have both stated they they think this duck flew from China, you'd think that they'd do a little research, I know I did a few years ago when I first heard of a Mandarin being so close to me.

The Mandarin Duck that I took photographs of is in my Gallery here if anyone wants to see it, it was taken at the park in Irving.

recrisp wrote in post #18742991
(I find that odd that most people that have seen this duck thinks that it flew from China!

I think your mild and constructive rant is an excellent reminder that news is best consumed only when provided by known reliable sources.

The NYT story includes these lines:

David Barrett, the creator and manager of Manhattan Bird Alert, a Twitter account used to document bird sightings across the borough, originally believed there were three ways the duck may have reached Central Park.

First, he could have escaped from a local zoo. Second, he could have fled captivity somewhere nearby, such as New Jersey. Or third, a duck owner could have tired of having a feathered friend and dumped him in the park.

The zoo escape theory was checked and discounted.

One possible origin story was ruled out. The duck did not come from any of New York’s four major zoos run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, said Craig Piper, the director of city zoos for the organization.

The story I read yesterday didn't have that information, I 'assumed' that this was the same story, I admit to not reading this one, which I should've.
Still, people always think the oddest things, that's all I was really thinking about.

The good news is that people who otherwise would never see one, now can.
I have to say, it was one of the best times for me as a photographer, I'll never forget it, just like that nude model that was in that same park, different year, weird times.

The main NYT story now has a video. The original image is still available.

https://static01.nyt.c​om ….jpg?quality=90​&auto=webp

(If your browser doesn't support webp just replace the last four positions in the URL with jpg)

Mandarin ducks are common in captivity in the USA. This is most likely an escapee--take a look at the two plastic zip-ties on the one leg. They aren't born with those.

Saw him last week, sure looked tired from the flight!

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2cUc​Y6U

Everyone's favorite duck is now celebrated as one of the top five shining internet moments of 2018.

Is this more about a nice duck or a hard year? Opinions will, as always, vary.

https://www.nytimes.co​m …tyle/best-memes-2018.html