The Farmland: Mallard Traditional Cache

The mallard is one of the most popular ducks of waterfowl hunters and bird watchers alike. It's commonly seen in wetlands, ponds and lakes in rural areas and cities throughout Minnesota. Male mallards are sometimes called "green heads."

Mallards swim with their tail held above the water, so when trouble comes, they can spring directly out of the water and into the air.

Identification

General description: A large puddle duck that's most easily recognized by the male's glossy green head and white neck collar.
Length: About 24 inches long.
Weight: 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.
Color: Mostly brown (females) and gray (males). Males and young birds look like females in the summer.
Sounds: Mallards are very vocal. Hens use a loud, long series of quacks; drakes have a low-pitched "wheat" call.

Food

Sedge seeds, grasses, smartweeds, aquatic plants and insects, corn, grains, snails and wild rice.

Habitat and Range

Lakes, marshes and flooded grain fields. Mallards range more widely than any other duck. They're found throughout the United States and Canada during the breeding season, and migrate to many southern states in the fall. They're also found in Africa and Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and almost everywhere in between.

The Cache

The container is a camouflage beach tube. It contains a log, a pencil with an add-on eraser, a sharpener and a handmade polymer-clay gummybear.

In winter, the trail is used extensively by snowmobilers. Be watchful for snowmobile (snow machine) traffic as it can exceed 60 mph.

Proud Member