The short answer is no, a bucket or drinker is fine, but they will benefit from a watersource.
Ducks and geese do like to bathe and keep themselves quiet clean. Having a pond (a shell (clam) is all you need, $15.00 from kmart) enables them to preen and oil their feathers more succussfully, keeping their feathers in better condition - They can do all of the above with a bucket of water or a drinker, it just will take them longer and they wont get as much enjoyment.
A pond also helps with breeding, most watefowl will breed on dry land with a bucket of water, but a pond does help fertility - but is not essential. Some of my geese do not use the ponds for breeding, but most do.
so yes, you can keep waterfowl without needing a dam or pond, but the birds will enjoy it if they do have one. The water can be recycled onto the plants in the garden afterwards.
Regards
Honk
_________________ If you can keep chooks, geese will be a BREEZE!
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