Quacks!

A few years ago, like four or five, we had a big rain like we had last week. In between then and now, we've been in a major drought, so the excitement around here was real.

Anyway, the last time we had a big rain, we were visited by a family of ducks. Mommy and Daddy arrived in our backyard with a whole bunch of little yellow ducklings.

Shiner, our blue heeler, was a puppy and tried to herd the peeps. We figured their home flooded and our yard had been part of a wildlife trail before the area was developed. So after a few minutes of checking everything out, Mom and Dad Duck eventually found a way for peeps to go under the fence.

Fast forward to last week.

Not long after the rain let up, ducks appeared in our side yard by the gate to the back searching for a way under the fence. Only it’s a different breed of duck from before.

These ducklings were black and white. So we had Mommy, Daddy, and fourteen active little ducklings. And soon, two neighborhood kids--one about six and one about nine.



Live-In Handyman opened the gate, and into the backyard they went. Mama Duck huddled her ducklings in the far corner of the yard but soon joined Dad in the trees. Duck Lesson #1: teaching independence.



The same hole the ducklings found before has since been repaired, so Handyman started making a new opening for them. Mom and Dad Duck watched, and both of them talked to the babies, who ran around like, what else, little lost ducklings :)



Those ducklings were quick and all over the place. We needed Shiner! But he's traded his love of little moving things for a love of food. So both dogs stayed in the house.

The kids and I kept the ducklings semi-corralled until the hole was open. When it was, Mama Duck landed in the yard to oversee the safe passage of her babies.

As soon as the last duckling was through and in the neighboring yard, Mama Duck flew up to the fence, then to the ground on the other side. I’m guessing she counted babies and made sure all were OK.

Then she flew back up on the fence and talked to us for about 30 seconds. I’d like to think she was thanking us for getting her babies safely on the other side. Since I don’t speak Duck, I’m not completely sure.

She then flew down to the ground on the other side again, and about a minute later she flew off in the opposite direction.

Although I couldn't see them, I am sure she was following her babies.

That's what Moms do.


See you back here on Monday, June 1.

For those of you in the U.S., have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!




Comments

Wow, that's a lot of baby ducks! How cool they came to your yard. And you were able to take video.
Murees Dupè said…
Such a great experience. Baby ducks are just the cutest. You and your family as so kind to help them get to where they needed to.
Love that they came for a visit. :) It's really starting to feel like spring now, right, with the rain? Or did y'all transition straight to summer (starting to feel pretty hot here now).
Soooo cute.

I don't know, knowing ducks the way I do, and I don't, I think she was scolding you.

T
Jemi Fraser said…
So many ducks!!! So cute - glad you were able to help them out :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex, Murees, Jemi - They were cute! I wanted to cuddle one, but I was afraid Mama Duck would attack.

Elizabeth - We've only hit 90 a couple of times so far, so this year it wasn't straight to summer. This is the wettest spring we've had in years, and it's very welcome. Rain again this morning.

Teresa - You're probably right about that :)
Luanne G. Smith said…
Adorable! I love their little chirps. And I'm surprised I'm not seeing ducks in my backyard. We're starting our third week of non-stop rain here in Colorado!
L. Diane Wolfe said…
They are so adorable!
TBM said…
Holy Cannoli! How do they keep track? And I think she was thanking you. Animals are much smarter than we give them credit for.
Susan Kane said…
Ducklings in a row! So precious and amazing how they kept searching.
VR Barkowski said…
Aww, so cute! Ducklings must be easy to train. I think human moms wrangling that many kids (or adopted puppies for that matter) would just throw in the towel.

VR Barkowski
Bish Denham said…
What a sweet story! I bet the parents were a bit panicked when they couldn't get through the fence!

We've had some good rain in the Hill Country too, over 5 inches. But we still need more.
Awww.
Such a big family - which is a fine testament to their parenting skills.
Carol Kilgore said…
L.G. - They were real little peepies. So cute! Good luck with getting your own ducks :)

Diane - Yes, I agree.

TBM - They are smart! I'd lose my mind with 14 babies!

Susan - They were persistent little things.

VR - I think so, too.

Bish - In the last round, I think you got more than we did. Daddy Duck flew to the tree to stand guard while Mommy Duck dealt with the babies. I think she must've told them to behave before she went up to join Daddy.

EC - I'm sure they're just ducky parents. Sorry...couldn't resist :)
~Sia McKye~ said…
What a fun thing to see in your yard. We have some baby ducklings down on the pond. With all the cats I have it wouldn't be a good thing to have ducklings in the yard, altho duck parents are protective. I enjoyed all the peeping and watching mama look for a way through the fence. Cool that y'all helped with getting them a safe passage through the fence.

Sia McKye Over Coffee
Janie Junebug said…
I love your duckies. The only thing that could make them better is if they were fishduckies. When we lived in Washington state some ducks lived in our yard. We lived inside the house. It probably should have been the other way around.

Love,
Janie
Julie Flanders said…
Aww, how sweet! Loved the videos. Too cute.
Those ducks are so cute! It was nice of you, and your dog to watch over them!

Julie
Janie Junebug said…
Carol is that kind of person, isn't she? I just know.
Carol Kilgore said…
Jo-Anne - I think they're cute, too :)

Sia & Julie F - Glad you enjoyed the videos.

Janie - You're sweet :) I can't imagine having ducks living in my yard. One year doves build their nest in a hanging basket on our patio. I didn't go out there much because I didn't want to disturb them. But they didn't seem to mind.

Julie P - The dogs watched all right, but they couldn't touch.
Liza said…
Adorable. Reminds me of some ducklings we saw last summer in Maine. One little guy trailed everyone, and got himself under the dock and on to the wrong side. Mom quacked and quacked and quacked until he finally got back to her. Talk about mother anxiety.
DMS said…
How sweet! I think it is wonderful that ducks visit your family after each big rain storm. The videos are great! Glad you got some much needed rain too. :)

~Jess
Helena said…
Awwww!

I hope you have more ducklings visit, if only because I want to see more videos like that one. I love how Mama ducks will even casually "adopt" stray ducklings and herd them with her own. So sweet.
J.L. Campbell said…
Hi, Carol,
I imagine that would have been quite interesting to watch and you have some storytelling skills on you. You had me reading this waiting to see what would happen. :D
H. R. Sinclair said…
Those ducklings are so adorable.
M Pax said…
What fun. My cats would love if our yard was invaded by ducks.
Anonymous said…
How precious. I've never seen that many ducklings before.
Carol Kilgore said…
Liza - What is it they say: There's always one :)

Jess - Seeing the ducks makes a better story, but the rain was wonderful!

Helena - We're supposed to have major rain again this weekend, so maybe...

Joy - Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

Southpaw & Medeia - They are so cute. And they came right up to us.

Mary - Yeah, I can imagine ducks and cats :)
Unknown said…
FOURTEEN??! Holy heck that's a lot of ducklings. How can she keep track of them all? I'm sure she was thanking you too, and I hope she finds such good Samaritans in other yards who'll open fences for her if she gets stuck. Have a wonderful break!
Slamdunk said…
Precious. Yes, my father was saying he can't remember the last time my brother had to mow his lawn so much with all the rain you all have had lately.

Enjoy your holiday, Carol!
Carol Kilgore said…
Lexa - Good thing I'm not a duck. I'd lose them for sure!

Annalisa - They were really cute :)

Slamdunk - Supposed to have a wet weekend, too.
Is there anything more adorable than a bunch of baby ducks? (Not much!)

I love your videos, and the fact that you and your hubby helped those little cuties. (Something tells me your fella is a real keeper.) :)

Happy weekend!
Mark said…
Funny:) My in-laws had a mother duck laying eggs near their pool. Lots of little duckings.
Carol Kilgore said…
Susan - Yeah, I think he's a keeper ♥

Mark - That's funny! "We can't go swimming. The ducks are in the pool." :)
Unknown said…
aaaww! Too cute!! We have a husband and wife duck that swim on our pool cover every april-may since I was a baby, (I like to think it's the same two ducks but of course that's impossible) I used to feed them bread but heard that's terrible for them, so now I feed them corn. Although they prefer the bread lol.
Caryn Caldwell said…
Oh, my gosh! That is beyond adorable!!!! I love the video with the mama duck walking along and all her babies just bouncing along after her.
Carol Kilgore said…
Beth Ellyn - That's cool!

Caryn - It was fun watching them.
What an amazing experience. And awesome that you got to capture it on video. I love when we get to interact with animals like this, and for a brief moment, have to work together and coexist with non-verbal communication. You know, since you don't speak Duck. ;)
Nick Wilford said…
So cute! They do seem like great parents.
Carol Kilgore said…
Beer - I loved the experience! Know anyone willing to teach me Duck?

Nick - I'm sure they are :)
How sweet. I'd have had to make them a safe passage too.
Carol Kilgore said…
Elizabeth - Who could resist helping them? They're so cute!
Melissa said…
That was my dose of cuteness for the day.
Love those ducks! :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Melissa - They were so cute ♥

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