What the soc: The Warwick Tab tests the waters at the Duck Society

Warwick University prides itself on its wide range of societies, spanning nearly every interest under the sun. To really put this to the test, we at The Warwick Tab decided to go undercover and explore some of the more niche and underground societies, starting with Warwick Duck Society.

At first glance, Warwick Duck Society doesn’t look like much more than a group of students meeting by the gates of Jephson Gardens with a bag of oats between them. But within five minutes of joining them to feed the ducks by the lake and talk about everything from coursework stress to campus geese, it becomes clear that this is exactly what makes it special.

In a university culture where many socials revolve around club nights and pub crawls, Warwick Duck Society positions itself as a gentle alternative — one rooted in calm, mindfulness, and community. Their main event format is refreshingly wholesome: Feeding ducks by a local lake, followed by a visit to a cosy café.

Our experience

We joined them for one of the charity socials – for just £1, students were handed a generous portion of oats, before walking to the nearby lake to do exactly what the society promises: feed ducks.

It sounds simple, and it is — but that’s exactly the point.

“I can’t say many societies go out to feed the ducks,” the society’s president told The Warwick Tab.

“We try to create a really cosy atmosphere, and we’re generally quite alcohol-free.”

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While feeding ducks was the focus of this event, the president explained the society is “not just bird-feeding, its wildlife appreciation, conservation, and just a love of all birds”.

Feeding the ducks, from an outsiders perspective, really fostered a newfound appreciation for the wildlife surrounding us that is typically taken for granted.

The society was inspired by the president’s own experiences in first year. “Whenever I was stressed, I’d go to the lake behind Rootes and feed the ducks,” they said. “It was a really nice mindful activity, and it helped me a lot. I felt like if it became a society, we could create a really nice atmosphere full of interesting people who all love them.”

What began as a personal ritual has since grown into a society with around 188 members. With no joining fee, DuckSoc is probably one of the most accessible societies on campus.

And while you might expect the society to be dominated by arts students or animal lovers, its demographics are more surprising. “We’re mainly first years,” the president explained, “and we actually have a lot of STEM students — they tend to go for the most random societies.”

While the ducks remain at the forefront of the society, bird of every species and size are appreciated and discussed. Even Warwick’s famously feared geese get a defence. “I think people aren’t thinking about the geese right,” they said. “If you treat them with kindness, it should be fine. They’ll hiss a bit, but honestly, the hissing is fine.”

More than anything, Duck Society thrives on atmosphere. Speaking to attendees at the event, several students cited the “wholesome” and “really nice” environment as their main reason for joining — not just the ducks themselves. This is something we can corroborate, the atmosphere was genuinely so welcoming. We were told interesting facts about the duck’s species, migration patterns, and shown the perfect technique for feeding pigeons right out of our hands.

In a campus full of high-pressure degrees and packed schedules, Duck Society offers something quietly radical: An excuse to slow down.

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