Saturday, July 17, 2010

A Good Week for Critter Sitings

I  exported over 30 photos for Misty Dawn's Camera Critters, and haven't decided how many will make it to the post, so I am going to start with today's photos.  But first I have to tell what happened yesterday.  Around 9:00 a.m. a neighbor came over to ask if we'd seen the mother duck and ducklings a different neighbor had said were walking down the sidewalk.  I went out with her, and we looked for them, but could not find them.  Around 11:30, as I was finishing up my lunch, I looked out the garden window, and there they were walking in the grass across the street.  I was mad at myself for not taking a photo out of the window before going outside to get the neighbor.  Larry told us they were startled, and went into my veggie garden that's across the street.  We looked all around, but did not see them.

We live a block from a cemetery, which has a pond on the farther end of the property, close to our main street, where the speed limit is 40 miles an hour.  I called and asked if they have ducks that walk off the property and return on their own.  The nice woman said that they do.  I told her I'd looked up what to do, and one of the sites mentioned putting food out for them.  She said not to do that, because they want them to stay near the pond, but that we'd be welcome to come feed them at the pond.  We had our daughter-in-law meet us at the pond this morning, and we took what little extra whole grain bread we had for KJ to feed them.  I wanted to see if the ducks had returned. 

We've lived a few blocks from this little place of beauty for 12 years, and didn't venture over to see the pond.  Beyond the fence is our busy main street, which turns into downtown in a few miles.  I have seen the geese fly over our house from time to time, and think I got some photos of them a few years ago.  I didn't realize how many birds lived around the pond, and that people were welcome to visit them, even if they weren't going to a funeral. (Larry read my post, and informed me the area was a weedy mess when he was a kid.  They renovated the area and put the pond in 4 or 5 years ago.  I have a bad memory.)


I love this island with the little building and wildflowers.


Isn't this a beautiful place in the middle of the city?


KJ did a good job throwing bread for the birds.  Next time, we'll take more.


I had seen the swans from the funeral home before.  They sure are fun to see close up.


This area is just to the right of the island.  Even though we saw lots of water fowl, we saw no ducklings.  I hope they made it back, and were just hiding out.


I haven't seen how to post a video with the new posting format, but found it when I was looking to see if a person could underline words for a book title.  It's taking a while to load.  It's a 2 minute video taken toward the end of our visit to the pond, and is very unprofessional, but I like the part where the ducks are having some excitement in the water.    I exported it as "original", and an error occurred while uploading it, so I went back and exported it as "current".   It processed for over half an hour, so I assume there was a problem and it wasn't going to load.  I am going to go ahead and post, and wait to post my butterflies and such at another time.


So, click on the Camera Critters link in my sidebar, and be sure to find Misty Dawn's blog in the links.

13 comments:

  1. What a beautiful area! I forgot to thank you for IDing my plant! I appreciate it. Jean

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  2. Those are some beautiful swans.

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  3. Sue... Those are pretty critters for a pretty place.. Cemeteries can be serene and beautiful.

    We have historic cemeteries here in Michigan such as Elm wood where people Walk, jog, bike, feed the ducks, picnic and read.. these cemeteries are just as pretty as any park...

    So glad that you and KJ were able to enjoy it Lovely pictures...Hope the Ducks are okay..

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  4. Hi Sue!
    I enjoyed this post, and your sleuthing to find the ducks! I hope the babies are OK, too.
    Beautiful shots of the birds which didn't hide--I suspect bread is a great deterrent to shyness!
    Blessings!

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  5. You have some interesting wildlife very near to your house. The swans are amazing. I look forward to seeing your butterly shots!

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  6. Hi Sue,
    I really enjoyed this post! Love the little lake and the ducks and swans!!!

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  7. Amazing scenes for a city area! Those swans look so graceful! And the little building on the island is so romantic and cute!

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  8. Sue: Fun photos of the waterfowl. I have a pond near with swans and they are so neat.

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  9. Really pretty! This would be a fun place to visit. I can't believe it's in a city.

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  10. KJ surely learns a lot about giving, not in school but at a pond...... he sure is a brave boy, with a lot bigger swans close by.
    ~bangchik

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  11. What a gorgeous spot. The swans and ducks are so beautiful. I love the way KJ was really getting into feeding them!

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