The Trouble with Frank

I think I mentioned in a previous post that our “resident” mallard drake, Frank, seemed to be having foot issues. He’s been limping rather severely off and on, sometimes to the point of nearly falling over.

Over the weekend, I found out what the trouble is. It isn’t that there’s something wrong with Frank’s left foot. It’s that Frank’s left foot is missing. GONE!

When they’re out in the yard, standing in the grass, it’s very hard to see their feet. I made a point of training the camera on Frank’s feet the other day.

This is Frank. He’s so cute.

This is Frank’s foot.

Or Frank’s leg anyway, sans foot. You should be able to see a webbed foot right there. But you don't. What in the hell happened, Frank?! Poor guy.

The mother started arguing that he was that way when he first came. I scratched my head on that one. Then, I remembered the VERY FIRST photos I took of Frank and Jemmy.

Lousy though they may be, the photos are clear enough to show that they are standing not in the grass but in the driveway.

And, you can see that Frank had two feet on May 7.

The trauma also seems to have taken its toll on the color around his head. It was once vibrant and green. Now it's still green when the sun hits it just right, but not with the vibrancy it had last month.

This is Jemmy -- at our "pool."
I bought one of those small kiddie pools a few weeks ago and it has been a constant source of amusement ever since. The birds, the ducks, the squirrels, the bunnies -- EVERYBODY uses it! It's kind of a pain to keep clean, but I don't mind.

And while Jemmy still shows up a few times a day, at least for this week, Frank has been a no-show. I hope he's OK. We really like him!