South Fargo couple welcome in ducks with plenty of food

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - Instead of flying south for the winter, hundreds of feathered friends are flocking to a south Fargo backyard for a buffet of feed.

Gene Finneman and his wife Susan put out more than a thousand pounds of food each winter, drawing in ducks each day.

The early morning trek started roughly seven years ago for Gene Finneman.

Gene Finneman, Fargo Duck Feeder: "They love this stuff."

Spreading food first for partridges, at least until word got out.

Gene: "The last could years the ducks have taken notice."

With more mouths to feed, Gene began buying about 1,300 pounds of feed each wither season.

Gene: "I was lugging it home from fleet farm."

Nearly every day Gene puts out a mixture of corn, barley, and sunflower seeds and sometimes within minutes the ducks begin to arrive.

Gene: "It depends on the day, but maybe 150 ducks and we just get a kick out of watching them."

So now they make sure their feathered friends are fed, even on Monday in the worst of weather.

Susan Finneman, Gene’s Wife: “They were back here, back here back and forth, kind of like a buffet if you will, for hours."

And today, first one by one.

Gene: "They're starting to come in."

Then the big rush hit.

Susan: "Here come a bunch more in the sky, see."

All hoping to get a bite at some of the best food in town.

Susan: "They're getting hungry, so they're meandering in saying I want some too."

Gene: "And they pick at each other like get away from me, this is my food."

The birds giving Gene and Susan a remarkable way to spend their mornings along with a few laughs.

Gene: "No, they're not very graceful, and especially if there's a little ice on the snow, they'll come sliding down and scooting around. They're pretty clumsy."

At least until food runs out, for the day.

Susan: "They'll be back."

Gene and Susan say they haven't had any complaints from neighbors and they're not violating any city ordinances by feeding wild ducks.

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