Birds of a Different Feather

A Fond du Lac resident was excited to see a Mandarin duck in her backyard this week. I wonder if it's mine. A few years ago, my son and I were all gung-ho on getting a game farm permit so we could raise unusual fowl - golden pheasants, peacocks, and canada geese (I know, they're a dime a dozen).

While at the swap meet at the Cow Palace we saw this pair of beautiful mandarin ducks for $50. We decided to take a gamble and buy the pair. While the owner was fishing them out of the cage, the male escaped, flying in circles in the building. This created a ruckus among the birds still in cages. I imagine in bird language the cacaphony translated into "Keep going! You can make it!" or "Hey, if he gets to leave why can't we?"

That should have raised red flags. But no, we blissfully took our birds home and put them in the waterhouse, a small building with four windows. The ducks, being the nervous type, seemed agitated, wandering around the small interior looking for an escape. When my husband came home I told him to look at our latest find. Rolling his eyes as he went out the door, he soon came back and asked where they were. The ducks in their bid for freedom, must have flown against a window, breaking the pane of glass. I could almost hear the sound of money flying off into the sunset.

So what lesson did I learn? Birds of a beautiful feather are best left in a cage at the swap meet. But I can't help but wonder if that bird is any relation to our escapees.