06/23/2026
Yesterday was the summer solstice, which marks the official start of summer and is also the longest day of the year! We wanted to check in on one of our drake mallards to see what he was up to on this long Father’s Day. Sunrise local time was 5:26 AM, and sunset was 9:35 PM. This drake spent the majority of his time roosting and loafing on a wastewater pond, but he made two flights in the morning and evening to feed in a dry farm field less than two miles away. We say this a lot, but these birds are creatures of habit, and he will likely stay in this pattern until he migrates, except for about a month during the summer when he will be flightless while he changes out his primary flight feathers.