There are no ducklings

If you read last week about the duck that's been sitting on a nest for about a month...

...you should know that there will be no ducklings in my pond this year. Don't be too disheartened though, as the story is not nearly as sad as it was a couple of years ago.

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What do you see?

This is the view of my neighbor's house from my driveway. Why am I showing you this?

No, it's not to show a clean, more traditional garden space -- in sharp contrast to my own. It's to show you something much more interesting.

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It takes a village

My neighbors and I have combined to bring a duckling into the world, and more importantly, into my pond!

I've posted about the ducks before, how they hang out in my pond but then walk across the street to my neighbor's bird feeder. The deer and squirrels spill the seed and the ducks benefit. Another neighbor texted me about three weeks ago saying that ducks were building a nest in one of his planter boxes. One with a pond, one with the food, one with the nesting site.

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Friday Miscellany

This is becoming a regular thing, where I use Friday to collect all of the week's tidbits and roll them into one scrumptious post. Well, I can't guarantee the scrumptious part, but this is certainly a random collection! Starting with the ducks...

...who are a mixed blessing. Yes, it's great seeing them swimming around the pond -- and on top of the house as in the case with this photo -- but they really tear things up there. It seemed like the female was feeding on fish eggs too, as they were spawning this week and she was filtering with her bill, poking it around the shallows where the fish were. I think I'll have to give them a few more months before I make a decision on whether or not I like having them here!

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More bird excitement

The other day I showed you some birds that are making spring in my garden exciting. Today there's more to share, starting with this hawk.

I'm pretty sure this is a red-tailed hawk, a juvenile who is not quite a year old.

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A few exciting birds

Birds are a big part of my garden. Without them things would seem lifeless and boring, so I'm always happy to see them anywhere. There are certain birds that are more exciting than others though, and I've seen a few recently.

Starting with this barred owl. There are a few of these in the area so we hear them often, but seeing them "up close" in our yard is always a thrill!

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Looking

My bamboo before/after post is taking so much time, just some quick thoughts today. Sometimes life gets in the way...

This corner of the driveway is becoming so nice now...

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