Unique duck becomes celebrity at Hall Road Pond in Kelowna

A unique bird has been spotted in the Hall Road Pond that has visitors asking questions.

Danielle Crowe and her family took over caregiving for 'Honeysuckle' the wild Muscovy duck after their tenants, his original owners, moved out.

The tenants had a wild duck land on their doorstep a while ago and named it Storm.

"They couldn't find the parents and they knew that ducks could die of loneliness, so they got two baby ducks from a farm. One of them didn't make it," explains Crowe.

Honeysuckle was the duck who lived. He grew up with Storm.

"Storm would fly off and come back and fly off and come back. And then eventually she flew, we think maybe she came down here (to the Fishing Pond), met up with her family, hopefully," Crowe continued.

Three days after Storm left, a feral turkey showed up in the family’s backyard. Honeysuckle was following her around, all day everyday, until she led him to the Hall Road Pond.

Crowe thinks Honeysuckle fell in love with the turkey, because she comes back to visit him and and they stroll around together.

"These types of ducks, they bond really quickly and they love to follow. So, I think what happened is he followed the turkey out of our yard and got open to a whole new world, and then he found the pond and it was history from there," Crowe adds.

Once the family realized Honeysuckle enjoys spending time at his pond, they decided to let him roam around while keeping a warm space for him at home. Honeysuckle tends to spend most of his time at the pond, and he's even become the community pet.

"I often walk here with my son and we play a game where the first one to spot him yells, 'Got it!' Everyone that comes to the pond, comes here to visit him," says Honeysuckle fan and community member, Maureen.

Honeysuckle is a Muscovy.  A type of duck that was originally domesticated in Colombia and Peru. The Muscovy duck is one of the oldest domesticated fowl species in the world.

"He loves peas and blueberries. He is friendly, but he has a tendency to bite, so make sure you're wearing thick clothing, but don't feed him bread or anything because that will upset his stomach," says Crowe.

So, if you're having a bad day and you need something to quack you up, head down to The Fishing Pond on Hall Road and meet Honeysuckle.