The Grandducks are here!

What a surprise! My husband has been busy today building something else for the ducks. He came and got me when Ethel was leaving the nest because we love to watch her go up and down the ramp.

We were watching her swim when we noticed something move in the nest. Before we knew it the little ducklings started jumping in the water. They didn't use the ramp, they went through the wire and jumped. They are absolutely adorable. We counted six on this first outing. I went outside to take pictures and she quickly escorted them up the ramp and back into the nest.

While they were back in the nest I placed some food down for them, that we bought at the feedstore. She came out and was eating like she was starving. This time her and five babies went for a swim and we think we saw 3 in the nest. What was heartbreaking is that one of the ducklings couldn't find his way back this time. The poor little guy was frantic, but he eventually found his way and all is well.

I should note that my dogs and cats are watching this from the sliding glass door and are getting very insistent about going outside. Not sure how we will deal with them.

Hubby is hurriedly completing the floating island project which will be complete with shade.

Due Date

My husband and I made a bet this weekend. I think the ducklings will start hatching on Thursday(tomorrow) and hubby thinks it will be Sunday.



The news for today... I had to go out of town for work and was gone Tuesday night. As I was driving home from the airport tonight, my husband was excited because Ethel was swimming and splashing in the pool. While we were on the phone, she did her little duck march up the ramp, but instead of laying on the nest, she went to side of the pen and then retreated and went back in the pool. Not only did I speed the rest of the way home, but when I pulled into the garage I slightly nudged the treadmill(not like anyone around here uses it.).



Ethel was just swimming around the pool when I arrived. Of course I had to say hi to all the dogs, so every dog and cat rushed out the door. We spent the next 20 minutes getting everyone inside.(Welcome Home!)When we finally came outside, Ethel was sitting on her next again.

Ducks of our lives...

The first ducks I remember made their home on the lake at the Air Force Base in Arkansas where we lived when I was about 7 or 8 years old. They were of course the beautfiul white ducks and I was enchanted watching them glide around the lake.

The next ducks in my life were a little less enchanting and could actually be a good plot for a new horror flick. These ducks lived on a pond that was part of farm where we lived for a few years. I am not sure if they were looking for food or just hated kids, but that always rushed me and chased me when I got off the school bus. Thank goodness we were the last bus stop and only the bus driver had to see me humiliated by running from ducks as fast as I could to get in the house. I never missed those ducks.

Then at 16 years old, my boyfriend at the time, gave me a baby duck for Easter. Now, I realize why it is not a good idea. Then I couldn't imagine why my Mom was horrified. She did let me keep it... for awhile. Mom, was at home much more than than I was, and the duck became attached to my mom. It followed her around the house just like a dog. We bought it a kiddie pool and it loved to swim, but it could never get out of the pool At some point after the duck was fully grown, a doctor in town let us take it to his pond. Hopefully, he had a good life, but now I realize how stupid the custom of Easter Chicks and Ducks is. FYI - It wasn't the boyfriend's idea to buy the duck.

So there has been a huge void in ducks in my life until now. I can't remember any at all. As coincidence has it, prior to Fred and Ethel entering our lives this year, I was doing a color change in my kitchen. As I was looking for red accessories to go over my cabinets I found a decorative red duck at Target. My husband thought I was crazy, but I purchased the red duck and it looked great. He even agreed. It looked so great that I went online and found 3 red ducklings to match and ordered them. My red kitchen has a mother duck and 3 ducklings watching over our house. Coincidence? Maybe.

Was that a duck I heard?

In the mornings as we get dressed and ready to go, we always open all of our windows and screen doors that face our backyard. We enjoy letting the fresh air in for awhile and listening to the birds sing in our backyard. We haven't see or heard the ducks in the morning for quite awhile as they seem to come out in the early evenings. Yesterday morning, I thought I heard the ducks, so I threw on my clothes and ran outside. No ducks, just my husband.

I asked him if the ducks had been there, that I thought I heard them. It was his shoes! He walked a few steps and sure enough they sounded like ducks quacking. I think we have ducks on our minds too much.

and then there is the cat...

We considered yesterday a good duck day! Fred dropped by and then Ethel left the next and took a leisurely swim in the pool. I watched Ethel from our bay window in the dining room as I didn't want to go outside and bother her. I noticed Paco, our cat that we got from the shelter a couple of years ago on the deck also duck watching.

Paco's interest in Ethel made me a little nervous as he recently killed a dove in our yard and brought it home. I don't let Paco outside but my husband does. This is one of our few disagreements in life. He thinks it is cruel to keep cats inside. Paco was two when we adopted him from the local SPCA. According to his paperwork, he had always been and inside cat. We do have another cat, Cricket that showed up on Halloween and never left. According to our vet, Cricket was about 5 months old when we found her. Somehow, I get my husband to agree that Cricket can't go outside Not sure why.

I completed my morning nest check and Ethel is still sitting on the nest.

Duck Watching...

We feel like a commercial for the couple without a life. After our long day at work we both enjoy nothing better than to spend the first hour in our backyard hoping we might get a glimpse of Fred and Ethel. Last night we were blessed with Ethel's presence, while she came out to take a swim. Unfortunately, our little duck watchers... Yoshi and Aiko were also outside. Not that they caused a problem, but for the first time they saw her go up the duck ramp and into the clump of vines which camouflages her nest so well.

For the next 30 minutes, both of them ran back and forth trying to figure out how to get into the duck pen, without going into the pool. The good news is that evidently there is no way and they have no intention of going into the pool.

We are hoping the eggs hatch during this long weekend, but we actually think it will be closer to next weekend.

Did I mention...

Last week we bought an big umbrella because my husband thought Ethel might need more shade. We also bought what I will call a minature boogie board so if the ducks were swimming and needed a break. Actually I am not sure why we bought it exept were a "dinks".(Dual income-no kids.)

The Cheerleader

Princess Aiko is our cheerleader. Happy, Optimistic, smiling(not that you can tell from the picture). She loves the ducks as much as Yoshi. No new duck news. We do a duck check every morning and every evening. Nothing new to report!

Yoshi Duck

Nobody loves watching Fred and Ethel more than our Japanese Chin, Yoshi. It is only fitting that his Halloween costume last year was a duck. When we open the door, Yoshi runs as fast as he can and checks the pool to see if Fred or Ethel are around. If they are in the pool, he just watches in amazement. He never barks or shows any agression. His favorite part is when they fly away. Then so excited, he runs and watches wondering how they do that.

Duck Habitat

Did I mention that my husband built a "duck habitat"? We are a little worried that either our cat or neighborhood cats will attack the ducklings once they are hatched. We can keep our cat inside(which we should anyways.), but we can't control the neighborhood felines. His structure makes it impossible for anyone to enter from anywhere accept the duck ramp via the pool. Ethel learned to enter from duck ramp within minutes.

Daily duck update...Still sitting on the next this morning. Was gone when I came home from work, but was back by the time I finished dinner. We haven't seen Fred in a couple of days.

Ducks in my pool...I wonder why.

I blame ducks in my pool on Walmart! Actually not just on Walmart but companies just like them that don't think twice about taking away the habitats of wildlife. I grew up in a town of approximately 19,000 in Arkansas. I still remember how excited everyone was when Walmart came to town. Several years later the store wasn't big enough or flashy enough, so they took vacant land and built another one.

Several years ago, I went back to visit the house where my mom, my sister and I lived after our Dad died. My mom lived in this house 22 years and loved it. It backed up to woods and fields abundant with deer, rabbits and all types of birds. My mom love watching them and fed them all.

The fields and the woods are gone. They have been replaced by Super Walmart. I was just glad my mom wasn't alive to see it. I do wonder where did all the deer, squirrels and rabbits go?

Roseville, California the town in which I live now has doubled in size since we moved here in 1993. The growth has been at the expense of wetlands and farm land. Ducks have to go somewhere and I guess for now, for Fred and Ethel it's in my pool.

Ethel is still on her nest this morning. We did go to the feed store yesterday and bought some cracked corn and some chick feed just in case. After researching the internet I get conflicting stories about whether to feed Ethel and her ducklings when they hatch. My gut is telling me not to feed. I do know for sure not to feed them bread, especially the ducklings.

The Duck Dilemma

It has been interesting hearing all of the different opinions on our "duck situation". Although, it sounds like fun, going through the birthing process and having a dozen ducklings running around our yard; we know the hard reality is that there is going to be a mess that we are going to have to deal with constantly. Forget using the pool this year!

With that being said, both my husband and I are animal lovers. We were never able to have children so I am assuming that all those maternal and paternal insticts were saved for animals. We have four dogs and two cats and they get tons of attention and everything they need. In addition to our own menagerie we volunteer and contribute financially to our local SPCA. We want to do the right things with the duck eggs, although who knows what the right thing to do is.

Interesting enough today, while volunteering by walking dogs at the SPCA I saw the Animal Control Officer. I told him about our duck dilemma and he suggested smashing the eggs. When I explained that I didn't think it was an option, he did enlighten me that I should expect the ducklings to stick around for about two months after they hatch. Hmm, I wasn't really thinking in terms of two months... more like two weeks. He did tell me something I did know and that was to expect Ethel to return next year. The good news is that my husband was aware that they would probably be around for two months.

In all fairness, the Animal Control Officer wasn't the first to mention smashing the eggs. Another acquaintenance mentioned that they got rid of the eggs and suggested I do the same. The conversation then turned to which of us (there were four in this conversation) would euthanize their otherwise healthy dog for a million dollars. The split was 50/50. The two that said they would take the money; have children. Myself and the other dog saver, have never had children. I'm not sure what it means, but I have thought about the conversation often.

I am not sure if letting Ethel have her ducklings in our yard is the right thing to do or not. In addition to our love for animals, we both have a thirst for knowledge and this has been a definite learning experience for us. My guess is we won't know if this is right decision until they have flown the next.

LUCKY DUCK

Where did the term "lucky duck" originate?? I hadn't thought about until the other day when I was at the beauty salon. Since you feel obligated to chit chat during the entire session, the impending birth of ducklings was a new topic.

Faye, my hairstylists of many years mentioned that it was good luck for a duck to select your farm, yard, etc to hatch their eggs. It hit me, hmmm lucky duck that phrase must of come from somewhere. Well after much research on the internet this morning I couldn't find. I did however, find a cute duck crossing coffee mug that I ordered for my husband' birthday. Now isn't he a lucky duck!

Although I can't find the origin of lucky duck, I know that Faye would never steer me wrong, so I am anticipating a lifetime of good luck.

I check on Ethel this morning and she is happily sitting on her nest!

The Story of Fred and Ethel

Fred and Ethel have been visiting us for the last few years during the early summer months. They would stop by for a brief swim in our pool and fly on to their next destination. Each year the visits seemed a little longer.

This year they seemed to hang around a lot more and were never scared off my fierce little Japanese Chin dogs.

One day we came home and Fred was going for a swim by himself with Ethel nowhere to be seen. After awhile Ethel emerged from a cluster of jasmine vines beside our pool. My husband, checked and sure enough there was a nest with two eggs. We thought "oh no, we are going to have all these ducks in our pool". But we also felt the excited anticipation of being Duck Grandparents. We were never able to have kids so we never understood this conglomeration of emotions.

Thanks to the internet we quickly did our research and discovered that ducks lay an egg a day until they are finished laying. Sure enough each day our egg check confirmed a new egg. We also learned that ducks lay an average of 8 to 12 eggs. Sure enough, Ethel layed an even dozen.

As we learned from our research, after they lay the last egg they spend most of their time sitting on the eggs. What we didn't learn was that the fathers don't stick around all the time. Fred is seldom around now although, he does make the occasional visit. My husband accuses him of spending all of his time on the golf course.

Now we are in the waiting mode. We didn't keep good grandparent records, but we think that they will hatch around Memorial Day. We are not sure what we will do with 12 little ducklings but we do think that Fred and Ethel chose us for a reason. I am not sure how they know that we would never hurt them and that we will do everything possible so that the dozen duckling have a chance of survival, but they do. We take it as a compliment. A compliment from a duck is still a compliment.