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The celebrity duck from Hougang is back after a brief absence.
At around 5:30pm on June 22, the lone Mandarin duck's return to Hougang Avenue 10 was documented by local nature photographer James Peh.
He shared the pictures in two Facebook posts.
Speaking to Mothership, Peh shared that he was not the only one present and there were other passers-by using their handphones to take photographs and videos of the flashy bird.
Back to his favourite spot
Here the Mandarin duck appeared to be preening himself, ensuring he looked his finest for the photographers and fans:
Photo by James Peh.
Ready for his close-up. Photo by James Peh.
Peh observed that the duck is no longer limping as "it was walking like a duck", he told Mothership.
Original video by James Peh.
He also waded around his favourite spot.
Just keep swimming. Photo by James Peh.
Getting along with the local neighbours
On June 14, the new canal resident exhibited territorial behaviour against his neighbours in the community.
The duck was observed chasing off a mynah from the canal and had a stare-down with a pigeon.
This time, he was photographed hanging out peacefully the other local feathery residents.
Mandarin duck remains unfazed as white pigeon washes feet. Photo by James Peh.
A crow and pigeon joining the gathering. Photo by James Peh.
More birds join the feast. Photo by James Peh.
Crow and pigeon watch as duck eats. Photo by James Peh.
Netizens' response
Netizens responded favourably to Peh's Facebook posts that offered reassurance that the duck is well and alive after its worrying absence.
One even joked that the duck had deliberately left to show them who's bringing the bacon (or specifically, rice) home for this community in order to assert dominance.
Mothership visited the spot at around 7:30pm on June 22 and saw the Mandarin duck there.
Members of the public told Mothership that the Mandarin duck had moved to another spot in the canal but had returned this morning.
Brief absence
The Mandarin duck had apparently flown off from the canal near Blk 522 Hougang Avenue 10 after a failed attempt to catch it on June 21.
A bird photographer told Mothership that the owner of the Mandarin duck came to the canal to look for its escapee pet on the same day too.
The duck has drawn regular streams of visitors in the past week and someone has been feeding the Mandarin duck by throwing rice into the canal.
Eager to capture nice shots of the flashy bird, some visitors have exhibited not-so-ideal behaviour.
A member of the public shared with Mothership on June 22 that someone was throwing pebbles at the Mandarin duck to make it move for the camera.
Yikes.
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Top images by James Peh.