DUCKLINGS AND CO.

 These are from my archives. I have been looking at a lot of old photos lately and thought to reshare. I have a lot of fun observing all birds. On a small pond I found three little ducklings with their parents.

I am easily distracted by ducks!

Hello little ducky, hello there little friend. It's so nice to meet you.

Something I read once, I can't remember where. "Immerse yourself in the outdoors. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person."

I am just a 'girl' who likes ducks. Okay, not so much a girl these days. I have moved forward many, many years. I am an older lady who absolutely adores ducks.

Oh ducky, I love you!

Ducky love is recognizable in any language.

Whoever said that was a wise old duck!

Ah well, rub-a-dub-dub, it's time to go scrub the tub.

Thanks for visiting and 

have a great day everyone.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - A FEW PHOTOS FROM GREEN SPRING GARDENS

We were over here last Wednesday (3-19-25).

This is another house on park property grounds. It is not as large as the house I like so much at the top of the garden, which is older and I just like ‘old’. This is a stone’s throw from the ponds, and it is very pretty.

As we had planned, Gregg dropped me off at the road closer to the ponds. However, not only is the drop-off point a no parking zone, but it is also a private road and has an electronic barrier to prevent other cars from using it. Fortunately, we do have public walking access. The private home on this road is lovely, and I took a close-up photo of the old bird house as I walked by. It has character and will look very pretty when all the flowers bloom around it. I will be sure to take another photo.

I started walking as Gregg drove up the road to where he parks the car in our normal spot. I had my cane and I assured him I would not rush things (something I am prone to do), that I would be as slow as a snail. On that promise he left me to it. Thank goodness for cell phones and GPS trackers as we could keep an eye on each other.

At the first pond I could see no birds or turtles but there were a few people around. On the other side I spotted a small group of young adults who were chatting. I was heading to the first bench where I was to meet Gregg, but there was a couple sitting there. The gentleman had a walker. His wife smiled and asked if I would like to sit down. She would have had to move so I thanked her and said I was heading to the gazebo where I would be meeting my husband. And to myself I must text Gregg and tell him that. But half-way there and as I half-turned, Gregg surprised me. He was much faster than I expected and was at my side before I reached the gazebo. We saw an empty bench on one side of the second pond, and I asked him if he would like to go there. It was a little further but because of this beautifully warm, sunny day, it was preferable to sitting in the shade of the gazebo. We sat down on the bench and started looking around. This is the same view across the pond that I shared the other day.

We spent a good 20 minutes or so looking across. There were two geese and nearby, a gentleman with his granddaughter. It was fun to watch their interaction. Grandfather was sitting on the bench and granddaughter, a little more active, playing nearby. She was about five years old and very interested in the geese, but had been told not to go near them. They were still snoozing.

The lady and gentleman I had spoken to before, caught up with us and we talked with them for a few minutes. They were about ten years younger than us. We didn't want to keep them too long because the gentleman was holding tightly onto his walker, obviously was not in good enough shape to stand too long in one spot. That was my way of thinking anyway and maybe I was projecting, but looking at his face it seemed so. It was, however, one of those very pleasant interactions that we enjoy when we are around and about. 

Gregg and I stayed for a few more minutes on the bench and watched them take the same path that we would be taking. They said hello to grandfather and granddaughter but didn't stop and kept moving forward, very slowly. We gave them their space and didn't continue with our own walk until they had left the area. We followed their tracks around the pond, walker and footprints.

On our side, three ladies make their way towards us and said hello in passing. We noticed grandfather and granddaughter had left the bench and that was our cue to move on. I had it in mind to sit where they had and take photos of the Canada Geese. By the time we reached that bench, the geese had awakened. We both had fun observing them for a while and taking photos. 

I called him 'the Protector'. 

He stood guard the whole time we were taking our photos from the bench.

Protector paid us no mind...

and seemed to be watching the same scene as we were. Across the pond we can now see the bench we had been sitting on originally. A young family had arrived and were playing ball with their toddler. We heard the clang of the metal bat several times and watched as little one swung it near his mom a little too close for comfort. His parents were doing a great job teaching him. Judging by his excited giggles, he was having a great time. We enjoyed watching them for a while and they brought back memories of happy times we had with our own son when he was that age.

Another ten to 15 minutes rest and we decided it was time to walk back. Nearer to our exit spot I told Gregg it would be a good idea for him to go ahead and I would meet him in the same place where he had parked the car before.

I wish I had asked him to leave the camera with the zoom lens as there was now a pair of ducks on the other side, with several turtles sunning themselves on the bank near them. Maybe I missed them before. Not very good photos as my cell phone gets a bit fuzzy when I try to zoom in, but it's a memory.

Two more ladies passed by, smiled and said hello. We were all enjoying the warmth and sunshine. I was looking forward to reaching the car. The spot I was to meet Gregg was not very far away by this time. I was staring down at my feet while walking, and when I looked up, he was heading my way. It was good to be in the car and heading home after such a lovely walk. 

My two last photos show English Ivy trailing on the ground.  Other names are Common ivy, European ivy and Poet's ivy. Botanical name Hedera helix.

I also saw new buds on the trees. This is a Red maple. It is also called Maple tree, Swamp maple, Soft maple and a Water maple. Botanical name Acer rubrum. A common tree in North America and its sap can be made into maple syrup. The leaves are very toxic to horses I read. According to the US Forest Service, red maple is the most common tree in eastern North America.

That's all for now. 

Thanks for looking, enjoy your day 

and have a great week ahead.

WALNEY POND - A FEW PHOTOS FROM 3-12-25

We park our car on the right-hand side... 

and walk across a wooden boardwalk to get to the other side of the pond. This is another place I have shared many times over the lifetime of this blog.

If you carry on and go over a small bridge, there is a trail that will eventually take you to the visitor center. Normally we turn left and enjoy our walk next to the water. There are new shoots of Yellow flag iris showing in the shallows.We took the photo of the beaver lodge below our little friend here as we were making our way back to the car, which looks a bit torn apart, and is actually a dozen or so feet away from the previous location. There was also a wire fence preventing access to a water pipe I noticed. You can see this delightful animal below, a photo taken from a previous post. 

I wonder if the park people are trying to discourage them from damaging any of the trees, but that's what I thought last year? And then we saw beaver swimming into the middle of the waterlilies. Hopefully we will be seeing the same later on. We were a bit too early today I think. Fingers crossed! If you would like to see that post of our North American Beaver, click at this link.

We were welcomed by a pair of ducks. They started swimming towards the center of the pond when we appeared, and there were several tortoises resting on a platform nearby.I liked the patterns in the water that the ducks were causing. The sun was shining in the wrong direction and reflecting off the lens but I was happy to get these.They and the tortoises seemed to be enjoying the sunny and warm weather, as we were.We sat down on a couple of the benches and always like to read the plaques put there. There were new places to sit I noticed.

Some of the messages are very touching. There are donations you can make to the "Honor or Memorial Park Bench Program." The price of each 6-foot bench is $1,500, all made of recycled materials. You can get a personalized plaque installed up to 3 lines, 42 characters per line, I read. More information about this program is here.

This is one of the two overlooks. I see people who enjoy looking into the water, some with fishing poles. I didn't see any fish today though. We usually look when all the waterlilies are blooming and there are many here, but not yet.

I will leave you with a couple of photos of "ducks, beautiful, comical things." 

F. W. Harvey was so very correct. I have his poem which you can read here, but you can see all three verses at this link. I didn't realize there were others, only having seen the first.

I was so very happy to see the ducks today, and the tortoises of course. I am hoping we will see the North American Beaver next time.

Thanks for taking a look, always appreciated. 

Have a great day.

DUCKS AND TORTOISE AND A POEM

A duck with a dream and a makeshift raft,  

Set off on a journey that made others laugh.  

"Tortoises aboard!" the duck did declare,  

"Across this grand pond, I’ll get you there!"  

The tortoises climbed, with patience galore,  

Each slower than the one just before.  

"Can we go yet?" quacked the duck in dismay,  

"At this rate, we’ll leave by the end of the day!"  

With a flap of her wings, she gave the raft a pull,  

While the tortoises chuckled, their shells looking full.  

"This is quite nice," said one with a yawn,  

"I could sit here till the break of dawn!"  

The duck rolled her eyes but kept pulling strong,  

While the tortoises hummed their own little song.  

Across the pond, through ripples and weeds,  

She tugged her slow crew with admirable speed.  

When they reached the far bank, the tortoises beamed,  

"A duck with such grit, we never dreamed!"  

But the duck just sighed, her feathers askew,  

"Next time, I’ll stick to just paddling for two!"  

Have a great day!

FROM THE TROUBLES OF THE WORLD...

The above reads:

"From the troubles of the world I turn to ducks, beautiful, comical things."

by

~F. W. Harvey~

The quote I used comes from a wonderful poem that can be seen in full at this link.

Frederick William Harvey, DCM (March 26, 1888 - February 13, 1957) was born in Hartpury, Gloucestershire, UK. Often known as Will Harvey, he was an English poet, broadcaster and solicitor. His poetry became widely popular during and after World War I.

You can read more about him if you click on his name below the quote.

BIRDS AT ST. JAMES PARK, LONDON

These are old photos from a vacation in England in 2015. We spent a few days in London and had a great time exploring Saint James Park. It became a favorite place to go as it was a short walk from our hotel. There were many different kinds of feathered friends. Here are a few and I have provided links with more information on each name, including a map of the park here.

I rarely get to see a Graylag Goose. This may have been the last time.

The next two photos show the Ross' Goose. I went here to identify. If any of my ID's are wrong, I would be happy for the correction. I am no expert, always learning.

This goose is slightly larger than a mallard and smaller than a Canada Goose.

Next is the Great-crested Grebe.  

Coot chick

Ruddy Shelduck

  I had never seen any before my holiday. 

There are more facts at this website.

Sometime I will share more birds from the park.