I live in Fort Lauderdale and there is a female duck that has lived in my development for at least 3 years. She is always alone and I understand that she's likely a hybrid that didn't migrate with the mallards. Several months ago she stopped going into the canal that is here - it is a salt water intracoastal canal that runs into the intercoastal waterway here in South Florida. She is always here on the lawn, drinks from the drainage pipes and eats - I'm not sure what. She's sometimes fed but I'm not sure how often.

I would like to know why a duck would stop going in the water. She hangs out by the water as if she wants to go in but she doesn't. She's extremely tame which I know is not good but there's nothing but grass here and few incects because of pesticides.

Might be a couple of reasons she won't go near the water. There could be a croc or gator that wandered into the area and is somewhere close by in the canal, or the canal might be tainted with pesticides or something that the duck cannot abide. If she is not a domestic duck and appears tame, maybe it is time to call animal control to see if she can be relocated.