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Why Are There Ducks In My Pool?

D

Dee in California

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Location
San Diego, CA.
When I got up this morning and walked into the living room, there were three mallard ducks swimming around in my swimming pool. It's just a typical swimming pool, light blue water, chlorine, the works. They looked adorable and very happy but of course my first thought was to hope that they had not used my pool as a giant outhouse. They left after a few minutes. Weird! Is this typical? It's never happened to me before and this is not my first swimming pool!
 
It's water...and ducks don't tend to be picky.

We get them in our pool once every few years, usually during hot, dry seasons when local ponds/watersheds have dried up. The pool seems to be a quick dip as the continue their search for more natural surroundings.
 
We often get ducks in our pool (in Australia). Whilst I particularly enjoy watching them and feel honoured by their presence, DH is not so pleased because of the mess they leave behind. They visit at certain times of the year and if not quickly discouraged, remain daily visitors for quite some time. Their faeces quickly pollute the water and the pool can become a serious health hazard.
 
Ditto what Carol says.

We live a couple blocks from a creek which is home to lots of Malards and we have a vist from a certain pair every spring. They look nice but are a water quality nightmare for a pool.

As such we tried scaring them off with noise until they grew smarter. Then we threw things and they simply flew up on the roof and looked at us. Last round about a month ago I took a garden hose with a nossle and hosed them off the roof. They flew right over me and I looked like a crazed anti-aircraft gunner aiming the stream at them. :rofl:

However they havn't returned.
 
We've had ducks in our pool twice, when my kids were younger and we never had time to bother with the pool or the yard. Both times, they've set up a nest, and then there were ducklings swimming around in the pool. This was very cute, but we had to fish them out the first time. The second time, there were so many ducklings, we tried to rig a ramp so that they could walk out. Since the babies couldn't fly, they couldn't get out, and we could hear the adult ducks quacking at them for hours. So once the family was out, we had to get them out of our yard otherwise they would just get stuck again.

The very sad story is that the ducks set up house on the other side of our fence and then a large animal....dog? coyote?...got them late at night :( . Oh, and we did call Animal Control before moving the ducks, and they said there was nothing they could do about ducks.

Now I have metallic ribbon/tape tied to a tree near the pool. It seems to keep the birds from eating our plums and we haven't had any more ducks.
 
Dee - We live in Rancho San Diego and had a pair in our pool a few times this year beginning about a month ago. I was so shocked I asked around and know have learned that nearly everyone that I know that lives nearby has had a pair of ducks hang out in their pool for a day or two this year - crazy huh!! I have been told is is wide to shoo them on asap. If they take up residence and happen to create a n offspring - it can be tough to move the family on...

They are so cute and they do amke us feel honored. Our dachshund Taco is not too keen on them though.
 
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You're in good company...well, you're in company....the Sopranos have been known to have them in their pool!
Connie
 
>Dee - We live in Rancho San Diego and had a pair in our pool a few times >this year beginning about a month ago.

Must be the area, I am up on Mt. Helix. Maybe the same ducks, who are addicted to chlorine!

Not that werid, I guess. This is my third house with a pool and my first duck sighting. I was thinking about the wonderful water quality of the duck ponds at Sea World.. full of muck and smelly... not what you want in your back yard fifteen feet from your living room!

Thanks for the suggestions. I feel bad running them off, but the Chlorine can't be good for them anyway.

Dee
 
Mount Helix - aaah - a place near and dear to our hearts... My husband is on the board that helps take care of the cross.

We love that spot.
 
Dee,
Run the ducks off ASAP. They may be cute, but they will mess up your pool big time. In fact, if they were there for several hours I'd make sure the pool got a heacy duty cleaning and chemical dose before I got back in...

Fern
 
This may be an urban myth, but I always thought that "swimmer's itch" was a by product of water fowl using the pond or lake.
 
Swimmer's itch does in fact come from duck droppings! But you have to also have snails as part of the life cycle of the parasite, so you shouldn't have that problem in your pool.

We also have the duck problem every spring here in Michigan. ARGH! The little buggers! We end up with droppings and feathers all in and around our pool. Yuck! They are completely unafraid of my dog. Last week, my kids come home from school and tried to chase the ducks out, to no avail. My youngest son even picked up the skimmer net and LIFTED A DUCK OUT OF THE WATER WITH IT, that's how unafraid they are.

So last week I set up my "Duck Deflection Device" which was 3-4 lengths of fishing wired stretched across the pool and backyard in different directions. It worked! The ducks haven't come back. Of course my husband nearly decapitatied himself walking out there........... :p
 
hibbeln said:
They are completely unafraid of my dog. Last week, my kids come home from school and tried to chase the ducks out, to no avail. My youngest son even picked up the skimmer net and LIFTED A DUCK OUT OF THE WATER WITH IT, that's how unafraid they are.
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They sound like pet ducks to me. Mine fly away when I run around the pool flapping my arms, shouting shooo (mind you, all the neighbours disappear quickly too :p ).

When I first found them in my pool (several years ago) I was so delighted I started feeding them, until DH had a tantrum. I wonder if perhaps other pool owners nearby are unaware of the health hazard and have spent time encouraging them, hence their fearless behaviour.
 
I was surprised to read that so many of you having them setting up residence in your pool...after giving it more thought, I think I know why we have only seen them stop by our pool once or twice, and they don't stay. We have an outdoor cat that chases and attacks almost anything, including our German Shep. Last week it was a 4 foot long black snake we found that she had a hold of. I felt bad for the snake, but that's pretty quick for a cat who is 23 YEARS OLD, completely deaf, and almost blind in one eye.
 
Our neighbours often get ducks (and Canada geese and loons) in their pools in the spring. Since the Toronto area is on a major migratory bird path, most of them are just stopping over for the afternoon or night on their way further north. Not sure who they use to book, since I have never seen any of their pools listed on the TUG Marketplace! :D:D
 
Tony Soprano was depressed after his ducks left the pool. We have been watching the old show on Prime Video. Such a unique show.
 
rickandcindy23 said:
Tony Soprano was depressed after his ducks left the pool. We have been watching the old show on Prime Video. Such a unique show.
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Loved The Sopranos! RIP James Gandolfini.

 
We have two mallard ducks or geese and one much be with an unborn one. She sits in the middle of my front yard and the other one is protecting her. I hate their dropping. It is all over my front & back yard. We live in Suffolk, VA.
We have ducks and turkeys. When the ducks leave; those turkeys will pop up; around 10 to 12 at a time.
 
Before you take any action, get your ducks in a row.
 
Just saw your post from May. We live in Laguna Hills which is close to you. We just had two ducks in and out of our pool for about a month or longer. Every time I saw them I would either squirt them with the hose or just chase them off. I figured they had a nest somewhere in our yard because there was one big bush I would always see them to go. Never saw any little ducklings though. The first time I saw them I thought it was neat. However after you see the mess they leave all around and in the pool you will do whatever it takes to rid them.
 
cp73 said:
Just saw your post from May.
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This is weird. Your reference to "May" caught me by surprise. So I looked back at the date of the OP and the post just before mine (#15) and got quite the shock. It appears that I have somehow re-opened a post from May 2007!!! :shrug:

Not sure how that happened. That was long before I even joined TUG. It's not like I have time to go back and search through threads that are over 12 years old! My apologies to everyone for the necroposting. Shakes head. :oops::oops::oops:
 
I think these ducks must have a drug problem. They must be quack heads.:D

Bill
 
Dee in California said:
When I got up this morning and walked into the living room, there were three mallard ducks swimming around in my swimming pool. It's just a typical swimming pool, light blue water, chlorine, the works. They looked adorable and very happy but of course my first thought was to hope that they had not used my pool as a giant outhouse. They left after a few minutes. Weird! Is this typical? It's never happened to me before and this is not my first swimming pool!
Click to expand...
Lol I have ducks in my pool every morning at 6 AM! same two ducks they just enjoy my pool!
 
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