Eight ducks have formed an Aggie Park flock

Meet the resident ducks of Aggie Park: eight feathered friends who didn’t all get along at first, but came together to form a flock.

“They look to be a mix of domestic mallards and mottled ducks,” said Mary Pearl Meuth ’06, assistant state coordinator of the Texas Master Naturalist Program.

Four of them arrived in April, brought by A&M System Chancellor John Sharp ’72. “The Chancellor’s office had a picnic here, and he brought four young ducks,” said Chuck Klafka ’69, Texas A&M’s assistant director for Aggie Park. The park was opened in fall 2022 by The Association of Former Students.

Soon after the four ducks appeared, two more showed up. “I figured somebody was dumping off Easter ducks,” Klafka said, referring to the harmful practice of abandoning baby animals that were given as Easter gifts.

Another pair of ducks were found wandering in The Association's parking lot and brought to the park.

Klafka said that initially, the group of four ducks stayed apart while the two pairs of newcomers made friends. “They didn’t like each other, so I had to put out food for them separately,” he said.

“But I guess they all figured out they’re ducks and they have to get along together.”

The eight ducks have bonded, swimming and taking naps as a group. They weren’t disturbed by May 20’s Troubadour Festival in the park, Klafka said: “Not one bit. They like country-western music.”

Bringing more ducks is discouraged, however.

“We don’t want this to become a dumping ground for ducks,” Klafka said. Adult ducks may be able to fend off predators, but it’s still not wise to leave them at the park. In May, he said, there was an incident where a visitor’s unleashed dog jumped into the water chasing the ducks, and the owner jumped in to rescue his dog.

Feeding the ducks is also not advised for visitors.

Meuth said the ducks “should not be encouraged to have positive human interactions with food, so shouldn’t be fed.” She recommended a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department video as a good resource for learning about Texas’ native and non-native waterfowl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEArhMUrmBs.

Other ducks have appeared on campus, gaining social media attention.

Last week, ducks named Benedict and Buck were featured on Texas A&M’s social media, but they don’t live on campus; they’re pets belonging to current student Abby Nice ’24. (They have their own Instagram account, @ben_and_buck.)

Back in January, two domesticated Cayuga ducks were released in the park; they were later relocated to safer environs.

The eight who have made Aggie Park their home add a friendly element to the site, a 20-acre space envisioned as an “outdoor MSC” for Aggies to enjoy year-round. Give them a “Howdy” the next time you see them paddling past.