Are ducks monogamous?

The past few weeks I have been watching duck couples. I come home from work, and there is a duck couple in the pool. The other day they even got out of the pool and followed me towards my apt. Kinda weird...I wonder where they eat. There is no food in the pool. I wish I could have made them a nice duck bed in my house or something. They are so cute!

When I go swim at the pool down the street there is a duck couple in it. Last time I saw them, they were floating just on the other side of my lane line, and if I was lucky enough to breathe on my right side when I passed them, I could see them up close and personal.

Aren't duck couples so cute? They fly in together, float around together, get out of the pool together. Like they are partners on a life journey. I have often seen ducks not in couples. There is this one very dark colored man duck who lives near Wes' mom's house. When I would come up for the weekend to see him when I was in college, I would go back to school on Sunday after we went to church. But before that, we would walk down and visit the ducks. And here was this man duck always surrounded by a harem of women ducks. For this reason, Wes nicknamed him "Shaft".

So I've seen all these duck couple's recently, who seem very in love, and then I am remembering our dear Shaft and his lady ducks...and I wondering...are ducks monogamous? I recently watched March of the Penguins, where they say that penguins are monogamous for one year, then find a new partner. Is it the same for ducks? These duck couples look so happy! How could it be for only one year.

I found an answer here. Turns out some ducks ("Whistling ducks, such as swans or geese") do mate for life. Other's do the one year thing. I wonder what Shaft and his ladies did? Maybe he got a new harem every year? Anyway, when I see the duck couples, I'll just pretend they are the kind that mate for life. I think it's cute. :)