Please indulge me while I show you photographs of my grandchildren in lieu of a “regular” readers’ wildlife post.
As I mentioned this morning, all ten ducklings are thriving, which makes me very happy (well, at least complacent: a true Jew is never “happy”). I’ll be leaving for three weeks from mid-June to early July, so if there’s someone out there who would like to feed the family once a day for that period (it takes only a few minutes), please contact me. I will provide all food supplies.
And some recent photos. I’ve shown this one before, but it’s one of my favorite duckling photos (and I have many). This determined little guy is steaming toward me.
I think Katie experienced another copulation with Gregory; I saw lots of splashing and heard quacking, and then Katie appeared in the main pond flapping furiously and spraying water everywhere. While she does a smaller version of this display after eating, this one was furious and did not follow a meal. Hens do this after mating:
More splashing about:
I have four short movies today. Here are Mom and Dad grooming in the “Bathtub”:
Three of the brood perched on the lip of the tub. Two are asleep, and in the one in front you can see its nictitating membrane covering the eye:
Everybody loves ducklings!
Duckling grooming:
Mom watching the little ones. I love it when she cocks her head to look upward.
Ducklings disporting and grooming around the duck island. I think the ones in the water are grazing on algae growing on the underwater lip of the island:
Mom and the brood soaking up sun on the bank. Can you see all ten?
The ducklings are learning to be ducks by watching Katie. And they pay no attention to the turtles (note: for those who asked, the turtles do not harm the ducks; these turtles are herbivores):
Some father you are, deserting your poor little ducklets! [plays Hearts & Flowers] 🙂
You seem to reflect Herodotus quoting Solon on Croesus – “call no man happy til he dies, he is at best but fortunate.” The Histories Book 1 chapter 32…
Oops! … I suppose as Duck Grandfather you can be excused though! 😉
Jerry, the cutest thing about those ducks is YOU! I just love it how much you love your ducks. I live in Eugene Oregon (Univ. of Oregon). Here, everybody loves their Ducks. Anyway, Ducks R U, and I await each new Ducky installment of “As the Pond Turns”!
Cute duckling movie! If Honey appears with 10, you may need to order more food!
I already have: just ordered another 25 pound bag of waterfowl starter chow and another 2.5 pounds of mealworms (expensive!). I figure it’ll cost me at least $10 per duckling or more over the summer, but that’s a small price to pay to get them all fledged, and for the pleasure it affords me.
“It is not what you love, but how you love it.” (Wil Wheaton, for those of you in the know.)
Delightful! I’m very fond of the duck posts in general.
I’m here to tell ya that we goyim suffer our share of shpilkes and tsuris, too.
It’s all flowers and candy and Sinatra playing in the background until somebody’s head gets pushed underwater.
I wonder why they don’t copulate on land.
Ducklings always bring a smile. I suspect Katie looking up is her checking for hawks.
I can’t shake the feeling that that is either Honey or her daughter. I still see similarities in the bill markings, albeit paler/murkier.
Writer’s Wildlife Photos