Like many creatures in the animal world, ducks are fascinating. In Surprising health benefits of walking post, I discussed how stopping at the pond to see the ducks is a highlight of my daily walks in the spring and summer. Today, I’ll expand on that with some observations on life lessons we can learn from ducks.

This post was originally published in June 2020 and updated in March 2023.

The return of the ducks is a highlight of spring

Every spring, we look forward to the ducks returning to our local pond. After their return, we excitedly await the arrival of the ducklings in May or June.

Ducks are interesting creatures. As I’ve been researching more about them on sites like Hinterland Who’s Who, there are many life lessons we humans can learn from their behaviour.

7 life lessons we can learn from ducks

Here are 7 important life lessons we can learn from ducks:

It takes a lot of work to make something look easy

I love this picture because you can see the duck’s feet in the water. When you look at ducks on the surface of the water, they seem to be smoothly and effortlessly gliding along. If the water is clear enough and you look closely, you’ll notice their little feet are constantly in motion.

We often say that people with great skill make things look easy. Don’t be fooled! Just like that duck, there’s a lot of hard work going on under the surface.

Don’t judge by appearances

The casual observer seeing ducks smoothly floating across the pond, might jump to the conclusion that they have an easy, carefree life. But, remember those little feet moving below the surface? I think the ducks must be very tired by the end of the day.

The lesson here is not to judge people only by what we see. None of us know what’s really happening in someone else’s world. We don’t know how hard they are working or what other challenges they might be facing. Be kind!

There’s no place like home

Many hens return year after year to nest in the same location each spring. Often, that’s the location where the hen herself was hatched. Since most ducks migrate to warmer climates each winter, this fascinates me. They must have really good built-in GPS!

Although many of us grew tired of staying home during the pandemic, these hens show us the importance of stability and how we can find comfort in familiar places.

---

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

---

---

There’s safety in numbers

You always see mother ducks and babies travelling together. If one of the babies wanders away from the pack, it’s always interesting to see the mother quickly corral them back together. She knows that by keeping them together, she can watch them and keep them safe.

This is an important life lesson that we teach our kids—stay together and don’t go wandering off on your own. Even as an adult, life is better when we surround ourselves with people whose company we enjoy and who will be there for us.

Pay attention to what’s going on around you

Did you know that ducks sleep with one eye open? They are always aware of what’s going on around them. In this picture, the hen and ducklings appeared to be sleeping but as soon as we got closer, the hen perked up and started to look around.

I’m not suggesting you sleep with one eye open but, like the mother duck, we can all benefit from avoiding distractions and being fully present as we go about our daily lives.

Don’t give up

Nesting ducks are subject to attack from a lot of predators including skunks, racoons, owls and herons. Unlike some species, ducks will re-nest up to four times a year if their nests are destroyed. Each time they nest, there are fewer eggs.

We’ve often wondered why some years the ducklings arrive later than others and why sometimes a mother will have up to a dozen ducklings, and other times there are only a handful. We saw our first raft of ducklings a few weeks ago, and this week two more smaller rafts arrived on the scene.

We were so excited to see this raft shortly after they were hatched. It’s amazing that ducklings are able to walk and swim soon after being hatched.

All too often, when we don’t succeed at something, we just throw in the towel. Sometimes it takes many attempts to achieve something worthwhile. Learn from the ducks and keep trying until you are satisfied with the results.

Let negativity roll off

You’ve probably heard the expression “like water off a duck’s back” but do you know where that expression comes from? There is a gland near the duck’s tail that secretes an oily substance that makes the outer layer of the duck’s feathers waterproof. These waterproof contour feathers protect the layers of flight and down feathers underneath.

We’re not lucky enough to have a protective coating like the ducks but, if you’re tempted to get sucked into the negativity that seems to be everywhere these days, pause and reflect. Let it roll off…just like the water off the duck’s back.

---

Every time I stop at the pond to see the ducks, I’m fascinated by their grace and resilience. I hope they continue to grace us with their presence for many years.

What other life lessons can we learn from the animal world? Tell us below.