Have you ever seen a goose hissing? They puff up their feathers, that long neck and head go down and their wings go up. And they make this hissing noise. It is quite fearsome. And so it should be as this is their protector mode. They are protecting their territories, other geese, even the humans that may look after them.
Now imagine a little duck doing this. Yup, I am smiling too. If you read my posts, you know where this is leading. To… Maggie.
Maggie my imprinted on me duck, who thinks I am a duck (or she is a human, we are not sure which) and a rebellious part of the flock. Me, I mean, as I simply won’t stay with the flock all the time. Work does ‘occasionally’ get in the way. That”s when Maggie will occasionally come and find me. Usually with George and Louis in tow.
Now, I am going to digress. Since moving to our new home we have been visited by, taken on by or moved into the territory of an abandoned cat. We have called him/her Peche (peach in French) for its colour.
Peche has worked out where our other cats and dog are fed and started sneaking in to get something to eat. Over the past year that sneaking has altered to slinking, and then to simply walking in as everyone became used to each other and their new home. Gigi is the last hold out, keeping her roll of authority in the home, by sitting on high, watching Peche’s every move and hissing now and then to remind who is boss. (Peche ignores her.)
And then there is Maggie. Maggie has never taken to Peche. If she sees Peche she fluffs and fans her feather, beak goes down and she hisses. She definitely does not want this cat as part of her flock.
I had made a little box bed at the base of the stairs for Peche, as that seems to be her preferred place of hanging out in inclement weather. As Maggie sometimes comes up the stairs to be an in-house duck, especially in inclement weather, occasionally there is an encounter.
I went to ‘rescue’ Maggie the other day from just such a situation, only to find Maggie had cornered Peche. She was in full hissing mode, with George and Louis standing bravely behind her. I stepped in front of Maggie, in between her and Peche. Maggie then came and stood between my feet, puffed herself up even more, and gave a little hiss. It was exactly like she had said ‘so there!’ to Peche. I was creased with laughter. My ‘vicious’ little protector.
I rescued Peche by picking up Maggie and taking her out in to the garden to play. George and Louis of course turned tail and followed us as fast as they could waddle to come and join us. Yup, sometimes Maggie gets occasionally in the way of work, but what is a duck Mum to do?
(Now go and visit our Shop, with the extra knowledge of what goes into getting our vintage items listed on it. Lol.)
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PS: Love Ducks?
If you are like us and are fascinated and love ducks, we have a selection of duck gifts available for you. Or those you know, who love ducks. Some vintage, some our own designs, all unique. (Simply click on the photo to see more or purchase.)
