Ducks, birds, where are they?

[Tigger7570]

Hi:
We're actually at Saratoga Springs right now. Our home is OKW, but this trip is just me and DH and we're enjoying Saratoga Springs. It's a beautiful resort. Anyway, on the last few visits to OKW (last spring and fall) we've noticed the absence of the ducks and birds. We're seeing some, but far fewer than we've ever seen. Now at SS we've noticed the same. Does anyone know why we're not longer seeing the birds and especially the ducks? We enjoyed the birds and ducks and miss seeing them at the resort. I know you can see them in the parks, but we always enjoyed watching and feeding them on the deck. Just wondered if anyone else noticed and knew what happened to them.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Interesting. When we were at OKW in May, I did notice that there were far fewer ducks than usual (we birders notice these things). At the time, I attributed it to the exact location within the resort we stayed in but now you've got me wondering. You know, once when I was at Rafiki's Planet Watch, they were sterilizing a resident duck they'd found. The CM told me that this was Disney's attempt to keep the duck population and interbreeding down. Maybe it's worked too well.

 

[Tigger7570]

That is interesting. Last trip a CM at OKW mentioned that some people had complained about the birds and that Disney was pulling apart the birds' nests. That surprised us and we wondered how true it was, but maybe that's another way that they are controlling overpopulation. But we really miss seeing them.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We were in SSR in August, and we didn't have a water view, we had a road view. However, when I sat on the patio I saw many many of the little lizards.

I'm sorry to hear that there's not as many waterfowl as there used to be. Even when they took the feeding machines from the area, there still were many by the Friendship boat dock at DHS. How about there, has anyone noticed them, or their absence?

Bobbi

 

[LIFERBABE]

SSR had beautiful Swans in the Paddock lake and the ducks were always visiting me on our patio in the mornings

I recall in March and June, seeing baby ducks at SAB and over by the Marketplace.

I like the wildlife at WDW, Ive even grown accustomed to the lizards!

 

[Deb & Bill]

They are all swimming in the WL pool.

 

[burnsoc]

They are all swimming in the WL pool.

They probably flew over from Fort Wilderness too.

 

[twinklebug]

Hi:
We're actually at Saratoga Springs right now. Our home is OKW, but this trip is just me and DH and we're enjoying Saratoga Springs. It's a beautiful resort. Anyway, on the last few visits to OKW (last spring and fall) we've noticed the absence of the ducks and birds. We're seeing some, but far fewer than we've ever seen. Now at SS we've noticed the same. Does anyone know why we're not longer seeing the birds and especially the ducks? We enjoyed the birds and ducks and miss seeing them at the resort. I know you can see them in the parks, but we always enjoyed watching and feeding them on the deck. Just wondered if anyone else noticed and knew what happened to them.

I noticed the lack of ducklings over at WL this summer and talked with a couple CMs about it.

The ducks have many natural predators on Disney grounds. Unfortunately the turkey vultures have taken over the old Discovery Island and banks near the contemporary, and guess what they eat: Just about anything & everything. Any yes, they've been spotted taking ducklings from the WL pool area. I was told, and believe that Disney has been doing what it can to discourage the vultures, but without harming the other wildlife there's only so much progress they can make.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I noticed the lack of ducklings over at WL this summer and talked with a couple CMs about it.

The ducks have many natural predators on Disney grounds. Unfortunately the turkey vultures have taken over the old Discovery Island and banks near the contemporary, and guess what they eat: Just about anything & everything. Any yes, they've been spotted taking ducklings from the WL pool area. I was told, and believe that Disney has been doing what it can to discourage the vultures, but without harming the other wildlife there's only so much progress they can make.

I definitely did not see ducks at BLT, but plenty of those vultures.

 

[corpcomp]

Disney filed a cease & desist order on behalf of Donald as the ducks were harrassing him for his autograph

 

[Tigger7570]

We've seen a beautiful swan along the waterway, but no ducks. Maybe the vultures are the problem. I'm still wondering about the birds. Maybe it's true about breaking the nests. Thanks for all the replies. Not surprised about Donald!

 

[crisi]

They are all swimming in the WL pool.

The ones that aren't swimming in the BCV quiet pool.

In the mornings I'd get out of the room for a bit and a family of ducks was usually taking advantage of the empty pool for a little swim. My family would come down later, we'd see the ducks, but they never saw them in the pool. Until the last day...finally, they believed me!

It wouldn't surprise me if Disney is destroying nests to keep the population under control. Ducks are one more thing to clean up after, and they aren't necessarily the tidiest creatures (heads and tails above Canadian geese though!).

 

[dvcterry]

there were many, many birds on the top of BLT (hundreds) no shortage there... they just sit there all the time....

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

I saw many ducks (and their babies) at the Magic Kingdom in May (we were there for Mother's Day). I took many pictures of the little guys. They were walking on the lawn to the left of Cinderella's Castle (near the road to Adventureland).

 

[Conan the Librarian]

I hear they are changing the menu at Olivia's. Is Duck on the Menu?

 

[DenLo]

And here I thought maybe the gators were getting them. I didn't know vultures were raptors, I thought they ate dead stuff.

 

[csharpwv]

They are all swimming in the WL pool.

That's great!

YES - I think that IS where they have all gone!

 

[twinklebug]

And here I thought maybe the gators were getting them. I didn't know vultures were raptors, I thought they ate dead stuff.

As far as I can see on the web, vultures do only eat critters that are "gone" already.
But the CMs, one a lifeguard, the other was some sort of manager both told that they had personally watched the vultures taking the ducklings. I did question if they mistook hawks for the vultures - there are plenty of them around too.

Other critters that will hunt and eat ducks include snakes, fox, cats (yup - Disney has a few feral ones) and possum. I'm sure the list goes on.

Have to wonder though: If the vultures are only eating the dead stuff, where is it all? There's no way there could be enough dead animals on property to fuel the hundreds of vultures we see sitting on the old Discovery Island in the evenings. And Disney is very good with keeping the trash picked up - of course I've never looked backstage behind any of the restaurants.