Ducking down to Barwon Heads

Yesterday, I headed down to Barwon Heads for the culmination of the 6 day long Barwon Heads Festival  of the Sea - a showcase of local food, art, craft, environmental initiatives, music, native culture, street performances and of course the Barwon Heads Duck Race.


 

Art exhibits at the Festival of the Sea

We arrived an hour or so before start time and wandered around the stalls and art displays, listening to the live music issuing from the nearby stage.

Art exhibits at the Festival of the Sea

As race time neared, I took the plunge and invested $10 for the purpose of adopting a duck for the duration of the race. Mine was duck number 880 and seemed a relatively handsome example of the species.
With only minutes remaining before my duck was due at the start line (the top of the William Buckley foot bridge), there was no time for the pre-season training suggested in the list of terms and conditions, so my little yellow buddy (duck number 880) was whisked off to the marshalling area with several hundred other eager competitors.

All quiet at the starting line

While we waited, I grabbed a coffee and the boys had ice-creams - our contribution to supporting the local economy - and took up position with the crowds of eager spectators on the riverbank, a short distance up from the start line. There was just enough time to read the terms and conditions of the adoption agreement I had entered into, which made it clear that performance-enhancing modifications (genetic or otherwise) were prohibited, as was any form of duck mutilation such as painting or body piercing. An examination prior to the race start was mandatory and random drug-testing of competitors would - it was claimed - be undertaken.
The competitors were to be launched from the bridge in a random fashion to "swim" upriver on an incoming tide to the Ozone Jetty. The winner would be the first duck deemed to have reached the jetty in under 40 minutes, or failing that, the duck nearest to this point at that time. Any duck beached prior to the finish line would be re-entered into the race as per an AFL throw in.
And so we waited, however it didn't take long before, with a distinct  lack of fanfare and no sign of a starter's gun, there was a low rumble as several hundred little yellow ducks were launched (tipped out of a wheelie bin) into the Barwon River.

Off and racing!

Race conditions were perfect for a course record, with the tide well and truly rising and a stiff tail wind propelling the competitors towards their goal. It soon became clear that the ducks were setting a cracking pace and there was a mass movement of spectators along the riverbank towards the jetty - myself included. One woman I passed declared confidently to a friend:
"See that duck out in front? That's mine!"
Hmmm...more likely it was duck number 880, I thought! As the field approached, I took up a prime position at the end of the jetty, ready to capture the winners crossing the finish line.

Marshals waiting as the field approaches

I didn't have long to wait before the race leaders were upon us, surging away from the pack in their dash for the line. Interestingly, it seemed that a form of sidestroke was the preferred method of propulsion as all competitors appeared to adopt what for ducks, might be seen as a rather unusual technique. It did however, make duck-identification through the lens of a camera somewhat easier for the spectators.

Ducks can do sidestroke - who knew?

And so, in a matter of minutes, the lead ducks were upon us and a loud cheer went up as the leaders crossed the finish line. Officials were quickly on the scene and the winners were plucked from the water (no doubt to be taken off for some routine drug testing), before the adoptive owners were notified of the success of their charges.

AND THE WINNER IS....



As the excitement began to wain, the final ducks crossed the line and the milling crowd slowly began to disperse, all no doubt waiting for that text message which would inform them of their success.

The post-race crowd begins to disperse

Alas for me, the text never came, so it would seem that the lack of training or perhaps the mental pressure induced by my last minute decision to enter Duck 880 in the big race, took its toll. Duck 880 did not finish in the top ten, but I am sure, still put in a gutsy performance. No doubt a strict winter training regimen followed by some strong pre-season practise (perhaps the Shelford Duck Race may be an option?) will see a better result next year.


Add caption

Finally, as the crowds began to drift off, the marshals set to work rounding up the competitors, all of whom they have indicated will be returning in 2016. Whilst a number of the ducks seemed keen to stretch their distance a little past the finish line, the officials were quick to put an end to their efforts - probably a wise idea given that next Saturday sees the opening of duck hunting season only a few kilometres further up the river.


Duck! Duck! Goose!

How to play: first, find a group of friends then sit in a circle and select one person to be the goose...
No! Not the children's game, but the real ones on the Barwon. There do seem to be rather a lot of them - well ducks that is - and they come in quite a variety of shapes and sizes and seem to inhabit pretty much every part of the river and various tributaries besides. Of course, when river levels are up and water finds its way into unaccustomed places, then ducks it seems will inhabit any kind of puddle or swamp. I have even seen ducks paddling on the running track at Landy Field!
In fact, so common are ducks to the river and to the Bellarine Peninsula in general that there is even a Duck Island located in the mouth of Swan Bay.
On a more light-hearted note, Barwon Heads even holds a "duck race" during its Festival of the Sea event held over a week-end in March each year. Rather than harass the local population of feathered paddlers, several hundred of the small, yellow plastic variety, attired in dark sunglasses, are released into the river as part of a sponsored charity event and make their way downriver, propelled only by the current.

Musk Duck on Lake Connewarre

Of course, ducks have been around for a while. Their remains can be found in the midden heaps of past generations of the Wathaurong and their names appear in local place names. Modewarre is the Wathaurong name for the Musk Duck. "Warre" means sea or ocean, which is interesting considering that Musk Ducks tend to prefer fresh water to salt. Having said that, the one occasion on which I have sighted a Musk Duck was at Tait's Point on the rather brackish Lake Connewarre.

This is a rather odd-looking duck, which takes its name from the scent gland on its rump. They also have a lobe (particularly prominent in males) which hangs beneath their beak, and legs which are set well back, making them great swimmers but not so good at walking, meaning they spend most of their time in the water.

Group of Khaki Campbell Ducks and a Muscovy Duck
(far right) at Balyang Sanctuary.

So, how many species of ducks are there on the Barwon? Well, lots, but I have not yet been able to spot all of them. I can certainly vouch for the presence of Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Pacific Black, Musk and Australian Wood Ducks. In addition to these species, Balyang Sanctuary and the section of the river at Winchelsea, seem to be home to a selection of domestic and mongrel ducks of who knows what origin. I have seen Muscovy Ducks (another odd-looking bird), Khaki Campbell Ducks, what were probably some "manky Mallards" (Mallard-crosses), a white domestic duck or two (possibly some derivative of a Pekin Duck) and a handful of other unidentified birds all of which were probably escaped domestic ducks of some description.

Australian Wood Duck aka Maned Duck or Maned Goose

So, which ducks have I not been able to find so far? Well, various Internet resources inform me, that there a number of other species which I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. They include the Pink-eared Duck, the Australasian Shelduck (also known as the Mountain Duck or Sheldrake), the Hardhead, Australasian Shoveler, Freckled Duck, Northern Mallard and Blue-billed Ducks. If the weather shapes up better than the forecast is predicting for this week, I'm hoping to get out and see if I can tick a few more of them off my list.

Of course, where there are ducks, there is also duck-hunting - an issue which causes much controversy during the hunting season each year and a flurry of media attention at the opening of the season. Naturally, having so many species of ducks in the area, hunting takes place on the Barwon and its surrounds - specifically at the Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve. The hunting season in 2011 extends from 19th March to 13th June which means that as of next Monday, I can again wander along the shores of the lake without risk of copping a stray bullet!

Magpie Goose at Lake Connewarre

So much for ducks! What about the goose? Well, there are a few of those around too, although the number of species of duck seems to be far greater and there is some overlap between the two groups. The Australian Wood Duck which has a somewhat pointed beak and is mainly herbivorous, is also called a Maned Goose. The only other species of goose I have discovered in the vicinity of the river is the Magpie Goose. This is a much larger bird than any of the duck species and is - as the name suggests - a black and white bird. It has a prominent knob on top of its head and my sources inform me that its feet are only partially webbed. It is a herbivore, living on spike-rush, grasses and wild rice. It is also and endangered species here in Victoria. I have only seen Magpie Geese on one occasion - on the edge of Lake Connewarre during the flood which occurred in January of this year. The only other goose around is the Cape Barren Goose (named for Cape Barren Island), however I cannot see any mention of this bird in association with the Barwon, although I do know they are occasionally spotted in the Geelong region. The Cape Barren Goose is an endangered species in Victoria, which probably doesn't help my chances of spotting it, but I'll keep an eye out none-the-less.

Pair of Hardhead Ducks at Jerrringot Wetlands

In a short update on the topic of ducks, I was pleased last week - mid-August 2011 - to discover that a number of Hardhead Ducks have taken up residence at Jerringot Wetlands, although so far they do not seem keen on approaching too closely, preferring to keep their distance.
Several weeks back, out and about without my camera, I also spotted several Australasian Shelducks, not on the Barwon, but rather, having a paddle on Corio Bay. I still have yet to spot them on the river. In recent weeks I have also seeen hundreds of ducks at Hospital Swamp, however I cannot approach closely enough and my camera isn't good enough to zoom in on them, but I suspect I may find some of the species I have not yet seen if I were able to get up close and personal.