You are welcome OrchardLady!
I kept ducks for the first time last year, and have a new brood of runners this year, hatched 1st July. I love them to bits.
You say that yours run from you - you can tame them with the clever use of peas! did you know this?
Defrosted peas (never canned) are like crack to ducks, seriously! You just have to pour some boiling water on a bowlful of frozen peas and they are thawed within a few minutes. You then take the bowl outside (useful to use the same bowl each time as they will know this is the treat bowl) and start off by throwing a few down on the floor for them. I have to separate my chickens when I do this or they don't let the ducks in. They have to cluck like crazy in the coop for half an hour while I spoil the ducks!
The ducks will go mad for them and you just drop them closer and closer to you until they eat from the bowl in your hand. You then put some peas in your hand and they will eat straight from your hand, they love the peas so much! You can gain their trust by doing this every day and they will see you as the treat lady and not the scary monster.
Also another rule of thumb with ducks is only approach them bending low down. Their instincts tell them that predators come from above, and you will be viewed as a predator standing tall above them. Secondly, try not to corner them as they will panic with fright, and again predator-fear. If you have to catch them, and it is good to do this so they get used to being handled, then do it with peas!
Once you have them eating out of your hand (literally!) then you can start by tickling their chins, and then putting a hand down over their back to stroke them. Once they get used to this (small steps and lots of patience) then you can stroke them while you feed them. Then you can progress to reaching down slowly and picking them up, and continue to feed peas while on your lap. Make them dig for them by partly closing your fist, and this will also stop them eating too much. It takes a bit of time and patience, but you can tame them enough so they run to you, and are happy to be handled. Ducks are rarely cuddly like chickens can be, unless they have imprinted on a human from hatch, and even then they go through a teenage freak-out-against-all-humans period of time.
Mealworms are a close second for mad-for-it treats too. Lettuce and tomatoes a joint third. But economy frozen peas are cheap and cheerful and do the trick!
What sort of ducks do you have and have you got some pics to share?
OMG, just seen the length of this post - sorry I do tend to ramble, but thought you might like to overcome the nervous side of them and make them more friendly - you will get so much more pleasure from them