Lovely ducks rake in ribbons at Topsfield

TOPSFIELD — State Sen. Joan B. Lovely and her 3-year-old granddaughter, Isla Buonfiglio, received three-first place ribbons and a second-place ribbon for the four Call ducks they entered into this year’s Topsfield Fair.

“I’ve raised ducks on and off since I was a child,” Lovely said.

She said she received her associate’s degree in large animal science from Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute in 1978.

Lovely resumed raising animals around a decade ago and focuses on Call ducks, a breed of small, domestic ducks, she said. “They’re super friendly. They’re wonderful with families and children.”

She often orders her ducks from farms, but has tried to hatch and incubate her own clutch, she said. She recently hatched one of her own, but they typically do not hatch without their mother.

Lovely said she brings her ducks to the Topsfield Fair, which attracts duck owners from New Hampshire to Rhode Island. She has been entering her ducks into the fair for the past six to seven years and her entries have received ribbons in the past, including many first-place.

“It’s just a hobby,” she said. “They’re not really the best of the breed.”

This year was different for Lovely because her 3-year-old granddaughter is old enough to enter her own ducks in the exhibit.

Lovely said her daughter walks Buonfiglio to her house in Salem every day so the grandmother-granddaughter duo can care for their ducks, including watering and feeding them. She also helps with the vegetable garden in Lovely’s yard.

“I want her to be a little farmer,” Lovely said. “It’s fun to share my passion for raising these ducks.”

Buonfiglio entered a pastel duck, Ducky, and a black duck, Oreo. They both received first-place ribbons in their categories. Lovely said her granddaughter named the ducks herself.

Lovely entered two penciled ducks, a male and female, with intricate patterns on their feathers resembling lacework. The female earned a first-place ribbon, while the male earned second place.

Call ducks are divided into categories based on their colors and are judged based on their head, cheeks, beaks and size, with smaller being better, she said. They are also judged within the standard of their own breeds.

“I have an affinity for ducks,” Lovely said. “They’re just really sweet animals.”

She said her favorite part of raising ducks is the “personalities” the ducks can have.

“They really do have personalities. They’re very outgoing. They’re very affectionate,” Lovely said. “They’re great for kids and they’re friendly. They’re just sweet.”

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