After finding the end of the canal the ducklings head back.     Photo: Brax - VPC

With the constant changes that have beset the Upper Valley by El Paso developers and the City of El Paso, its rare to find what once was a common view in this beautiful ecological area.

These mallard young must sleep in the deeper canals and drainage canals at night to ward off the ever increasing number of dogs, cats and ATV's that disrupt the delicate balance of the Upper Valley.

The green space has dwindled too, such that instead of lush fields of alfalfa, chile, onions or cotton; their are many fields that lie fallow with weeds or dirt after developers pushed through lucrative land and zoning deals with the City of El Paso only to have to sit on the land after taking the many parcels out of production.

These young will usually go into escape mode when someone or something approaches. If possible, they will lower their heads and either hide or on their mother's signal follow her to a safe refuge. But, because these young quackers were in a canal with cement sides and a low water level the mother was flying around the area pretending to be injured so as to take the threat away from her young. She later came back and called her young to get to the deeper water of a large irrigation canal where they could head under a bridge for safety.

Prepared by UVB staff.

(Photos: Brax - Valley Publishing Company)

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