Duck!

"Duck!" is what I yelled on Saturday when coming home from another nursery visit (post tomorrow), a box of plants in hand, I looked back to the pond and saw this:

A duck! To be honest, it's my neighbor's duck. It's not a pet, but it's one of the two Mallard ducks that have been visiting her backyard for at least a year if not two. They like her messy bird feeder and small tub of water, and didn't seem to listen when she kept telling them that there's a nice little pond right across the street and down the hill. It seems they finally got the message!

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This is clearly the male, but where was the female?

Perhaps it's not one of my neighbor's ducks at all, but a third who has staked a claim on this prime real estate?

Orange feet are weird. Why doesn't your bill match your toes?

Oh, there she is!

She was resting on the lawn and I had to change vantage points a bit to see her. Here's where she was in relation to the male:

They hung around most of the day, then later I happened to look out the bedroom window to see them walking up the driveway...

...along the front sidewalk...

...then across the street and all the way up the hill to my neighbor's yard. (She's actually down a few houses but since we're on a cul-de-sac her driveway points at my house.)

It's a walk that will get your heart pumping, but I suppose it's easier than flying? Seems like a long walk for a duck.


Sunday was nice and sunny, and I was glad to see that they were both back at the pond again:

They lazed around for quite a while, choosing different spots in which to rest...

...and then it happened...

...they went for a swim!

There are ducks...swimming...in my pond!

Later in the summer when the water lilies and frogbit get thicker, I wonder if they'll still swim? It's such a wonderful thing to see yet another layer added to the wildlife attracted to my pond!


Now that I've seen ducks on my pond, it seems strange when they're not there. It just seems right.

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