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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 24, 2006 Megan explored the phenomenon of imprinting by raising a duck named Lily for her senior project at South Medford High School. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's ... A DUCKY SENIOR PROJECT By Paris Achen Mail Tribune Wearing a sparkling pink gingham skirt and a disposable diaper, Lily, a Pekin duck, waddles down a street in a southwest Medford neighborhood in pursuit of 17-year-old Megan Plankenhorn. Lily is a sort of science experiment for Megan's senior project at South Medford High School. "The whole point of the project was to see if imprinting worked," Megan said. Imprinting occurs when a hatchling, particularly a duckling, chick or gosling, learns the characteristics of the first suitable life form it sees and regards the living thing — whether bird, human or otherwise — as its parent. Megan hatched the idea last year after learning about the phenomenon of imprinting in a psychology class. "I had never had an interest in birds before," Megan said. "I was at Lithia Park in Ashland one day watching the ducks and thought it would be a cool idea to imprint one of them for my senior project." A senior project, research paper and presentation are required for graduation in the Medford School District. Megan hunkered down to learn about the process of imprinting, directions for incubating eggs, the proper type of duck for domesticity and how to care for a duckling and an adult duck. She decided on a Pekin duck for its full figure, inability at flight and background as a domestic duck. She ordered nine Pekin eggs online and borrowed an incubator from a teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, where her mother works, for their nesting period. After 35 days in the incubator with Megan regulating temperature and humidity daily, five of the nine eggs hatched. All of the ducklings initially regarded Megan as their mother, following her around and chirping for food, water and filial affection. Caring for ducklings, however, is a full-time job, so Megan decided to adopt only one. She chose Lily, second born of the flock, who tended to be first in line to follow Megan around the house, the most obvious sign of imprinting. "I couldn't leave her alone," Megan said. "She would quack nonstop until she saw me." Lily's siblings were sent to the farm of a friend. With the blessing of her teachers and the South Medford High School administration, Megan took Lily with her to classes every day for three months between November and January. "The first two weeks only the people in my classes knew about her because she was so little she fit in my jacket pocket," Megan said. "Then people started to notice I was carrying a duck around." Now 7 months old, Lily eats in the kitchen out of a baking dish filled with grain and greens, sleeps with Megan, swims in the family pool and wears disposable baby diapers fastened with a special harness for ducks. She interacts with the two family dogs and cats without incident, though she does peck on the pet tortoise, Megan said. She gets along swimmingly with Cooper, the family's yellow lab. "She loves him and follows him around," Megan said. "He finds her a little annoying." Lily will debut her dance moves with Megan at the modern dance class' Discordance show at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at South Medford High. Her job is to follow Megan's lead. In addition to learning more about imprinting, Megan has learned about duck life cycles, behavior and food. "It's cool to have her around," Megan said. "You know she needs you and doesn't have the same relationship with anyone else." The experience may have connections to Megan's future career as well. She is considering becoming a veterinarian or going into the medical field. Megan will present her senior project to teachers June 1-2. But the project isn't expected to end any time soon. A Pekin duck can live up to 20 years. "After a duck imprints on you, you can't get rid of it," Megan said. "They would go through withdrawal, and it's not good, so I'm going to keep her until she dies." Megan is slated to attend Southern Oregon University in Ashland in the fall. She and Lily plan to live at their family home in Medford for a year or two before looking for an apartment in Ashland. The apartment must accept ducks. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail [email protected] . Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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