NARROWSBURG, NY — An early warm spell lead to an ice-free Little Lake Erie on March 9, and welcomed a mallard duck plying the surface of the water. Mallards are “dabbling ducks,” meaning they tip their heads forward to feed on plants growing underwater and rarely dive. Mostly adult mallards eat plant material, but they will also eat insects, worms and other small creatures.

Mallards are among the most numerous ducks in the world and some may reside in the Upper Delaware Valley year-round, while others migrate south. The mallard is the main ancestor to most breeds of domesticated ducks.