we're at it again

yippee!  check out all the details on our new family over at mom's other blog!

and remember, this is not our first time!

Empty Nest

well, we knew it had to come and this Sat it did! momma duck finally had her babies and shortly after they had to leave. mom was happy and sad at the same time.
at least we got to walk them out!  we had to be a little patient while they each made their way out of the nest - and we had to stay out of site!

 but then we got to escort them across the drive

through the yard

down the beach

and out to the river

we'll miss you guys! hope to see you again next year!

a little better view

here's another shot of momma duck's nest to give you an idea where she built it. it's really built up now with lots of feathers. these kids are spoiled - not even born and already they have a feather bed!

and here she is in all her cuteness!

here she is!

Wild Kingdom

for the past week+ we've been seeing a male duck out front all by his lonesome. Ma was commenting today on how sad that was that he lost his girl and she hoped nothing bad had happened to her. remember our ducks from last year? well, it's quite possible they've returned but chosen safer/higher ground. Pa confirmed this morning that there's a momma duck with 5 eggs in our big planter box out front of the house - the side away from the river. Ma plans on taking pics when she gets home so you can see. but this year we're really gonna try and give 'em some privacy so hopefully the babies will make it. prayers please!

hello momma

okay, so now our blog is all about momma duck. that's okay, we're willing to settle for that for now. mom and eggs are doing fine. we think they'll hatch in about 3 weeks. pa had to take down the ramp to the dock cuz we were scaring momma duck. so now she has the whole dock to herself. mom was able to sneak out and get a good picture of her today.

7 then 8

we did get a peek at the nest this weekend when momma duck left. actually brother scared her away. whatever!

in the first photo, it's kinda hard to tell, but there are 7 eggs. she left again the next day and we were able to get a clear shot of all 8 eggs. she's sitting tight now so she must be done and it's just a matter of waiting for them to hatch. we hope to have pics of that as well. yeah, brothers and sisters on the way. can't wait to play with them.

duck update

things have halted for our new guest. mom noticed a heron eyeing the nest yesterday. since then momma duck has not left the nest. so we don't have any new pics for you. so either momma duck is done laying eggs or she's protecting her nest.

and to those of you who have wondered/suggested that maybe the pot isn't large enough, we going on faith that momma duck knows what she is doing and thought the spot was just fine!

6 Pack

Days 4 & 5

so pa's co-worker says this momma duck will lay 1 egg every day until she is done, which could be 10-15 eggs. right after she lays each one, she flies off. when she's done laying all of them, she won't fly off.....and we won't be able to use the dock cuz she'll defend her nest. we'll try to keep a count each day and keep you updated!