Friday, April 30, 2010

elfmama

mama is a little agitated.

she sits on this rock and ruffles her feathers and shakes her tailfeathers.


even though we are quite a safe distance away, high up on the breakwall. in fact we are higher up than usual (or she is lower down than usual) since the water level hasn't been so low in decades.
I certainly have never seen these rocks above the waterline before.

with a few quacks, she gathers her brood together.

head count...


there's always a straggler.
right, all together now, count off - one, two, three, ... up to eleven.
(or, in Dutch - een, twee, drie ... elf)

I was talking to a woman this morning who lives in that condo building and she was telling me that there was a nest on the third floor terrace. She wasn't certain just how they got the family across the road, through the park and into the water, but it involved some wildlife rescue people.
they move fast, these little fellas do,
but I managed one or two clear close ups
say awwwwwwww

32 comments:

  1. i do love little ducklings - adorable shots

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  2. awwwww and awwwww again.

    What a lot of babies, hope the fox doesn't get them.
    I have often heard that ducks nest high and then make all the babies tumble down to the ground, one by one; then Mum gathers them up and marches them to the water in single file.
    I've seen lines of traffic stopping for them!

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  3. Annie: at one point, there were about 15 of us oohing and ahhing.

    Char: I missed them last year, so this was quite a surprise.

    Jazz: I know!

    Friko: I had forgotten that. it would have been a long drop down from the third floor, though. and apparently, one did not make it.

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  4. Baby *anythings* are awwwwwwwww-worthy, and these little fluffballs are eleven times that!

    I was happy as all get out until you said "one didn't make it." :-\

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  5. June: no, I didn't like that part either. I didn't realize mallards had so many babies at one time.

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  6. Great shots! Have a great weekend!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  7. SueAnn: thanks. I will likely take more shots of them during the weekend!

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  8. They really are darling! These are the first ducklings I have seen this year.

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  9. EGWow: these little ones are just days old. they were taken to the lake on Wednesday.

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  10. You do take such good photos. Love those ducklings. The mothers work so hard, don't they - like all of us, too, I suppose.

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  11. Oliag: it is so much fun watching the babies swimming around - so much energy, they can't seem to decide which direction to go in.

    Geewits: I felt compelled to draw attention to them by telling everyone I met who was walking along the path (and therefore couldn't see over the breakwall)

    Persiflage: well, thank you (you aren't seeing the other hundred I had to trash because the little beggars move very fast!) mama has a bit of a job keeping her eye on eleven, with little help from papa who just seems to hover on the perimeter.

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  12. SQUEEEEE!! And even cuter in Dutch!

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  13. You still count very well in Dutch.

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  14. Ducklings are about unbearably cute.

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  15. nice to see wild duckings around,over in my place we can't even get near them because
    they are too scared of human.

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  16. That last pic is an absolute cracker! Seeing his little foot obsolute makes it!

    Ducks have such big broods, beats me how they manage, but alas not all will make it to adulthood.

    But if they did we'd be waist deep in ducks!

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  17. What sweethearts, and so fun to watch, too.

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  18. What a great little family and I loved the cat in the picture below. (Though I am glad they were not all put together!

    Nuts in May

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  19. dancingbeastie: a little play on words from octomom - and definitely cuter!

    Nora: I used to practice counting everything when I lived in Holland!

    SAW: and they stay cute even as adults.

    Thomas: these ones are very used to people. they are a main attraction at the lake.

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  20. Saj: I couldn't find them yesterday or today, but the lake has been a bit rough, so maybe they found a calmer sheltered area

    Gilly: their feet always look so huge compared to their little bodies.

    Robin: I tried to video them moving, but they skimmed over the water too fast and had too many twists and turns.

    MaggieMay: I think the cat below is too concerned about his looks to bother!

    Robin:

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  21. Beautiful captures and they so cute.
    Have a great week.

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  22. What wonderful shots... and the water is so clear too.

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  23. Awwwwww, sweet! That's a lot of little quackers! :)

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  24. Eden: thanks. I had cute subjects, hard to go too wrong.

    ladyfi: all the better to see their little feet paddling away, in the cool, clear water.

    Susan: oh yes, it will get a little noisy, won't it!?

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  25. Pauline: I just came back from a walk to find them - don't know where they moved on to. I doubt they spend much time hiding and resting!

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  26. Violet Sky, a wonderful photo series! :)

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