Black Duck Assain

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted April 13, 201383 views5 comments

The mallard baby ducks have been wiped out by a pack of feral cats that live on Turtle Creek. A "Cat Lady" feeds them on nearby Katy Trail ever day and they live in the woods close to the trails.

There are 4 of these cats I have documented and rumors of as many as a dozen have circulated from some homeless man I visit with on the creek. He has seen them snatched out of the shallow creek and killed. This spring there are no babies when dozens usually hatch, grow and fly off each year.

Sony a77
70-400 G Sony zoom @400mm
ISO 640
f 6.3 @ 1/80 second
Tripod
LR 4.4 raw
PS5 conversions and NR

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on April 13, 2013 at 7:43 PM

Sounds like that area needs a few coyotes! Problem...solved.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on April 14, 2013 at 2:12 AM

Nice environmental portrait. Wonder about a lower perspective.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 14, 2013 at 5:25 PM

Something that really needs to be documented more.. We have quite a problem here in our rural area.
I'd be tempted to hide out near the ducks and whack a few of em', just sayin'
What's good for the goose is good for the gander

Great post Rick.

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Turner on April 14, 2013 at 8:02 PM

It is out of hand here in the urban jungle of Turtle Creek. The two mallards sitting on some late eggs ae about to hatch and I plan to protect the chicks with a pellet gun pumped way up.
These cats just sit there and wait to kill so my tripod case will have more than a tripod in it.

Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Lessard on September 6, 2013 at 12:54 PM

Nice to see that we will gladly kill a cat to save a duck. What if it had been a fox, wolf or owl?
Killing feral cats for trying to survive is just cruel. Spaying and neutering our cats in the first place is a better plan. Keep on shooting Rick!!

Registered on January 14, 2009, 38 Posts, 219 Comments