A bakers dozen.

Upon arriving at the pond  this morning, I found that we had a new mallard family on the water. Mom, Dad and 13 ducklings.

 The other ducks on the pond were not playing nice today. Mom and dad had to chase off a couple of drakes that were too interested in the ducklings, and Mom duck. So mom duck decided, I 'm out of here.

  Up the bank they go.

Along the sidewalk.

Across the play ground

And into the grass

They hopped into the man made creek just above this waterfall, and kept going.

  I think she is headed for the smaller pond about 100 yards away. It is usually a quite location. but today...this was happening.

 the pond is right behind the gray structure (see red arrow ) tents and tables all the way from me to the pond.

 They kept going even though it was getting louder and more humans were about. See how small they are?

 The pond at the top of the water fall is the destination. The event is just out of the picture to the left. To get to the pond, they had to go overland again.

 So up the bank and under the oak tree and up another bank to the pond. In go mom and dad, the little guys had quite a time of it. As I learned from little lost duck, newly hatch ducklings have a hard time with curbs.

 After about 3 minuets every one finally flutter-flopped themselves up and into the pond.

  Now the upper pond has sort of become  a bachelor hang out, and as soon as the female duck hit the water, the drakes went all cave-man duck...WOMAN!

 Dad duck had his hands, or, wings full. It got bad enough that mom duck took off into the air with 8 drakes following her, one friendly, seven not.

This left 13 ducklings alone on the pond. And at the very moment, crow landed on a rock beside the pond, I swear I heard it say "Sweet."

 Meanwhile , mom duck had circled the pond and dove in low under the huge oak tree, that got rid of a few of her followers, I heard some scuffling and quacking, then she and dad duck appeared at the edge of the pond and she did the mom duck call. The ducklings bunched up and did a 180 out in the middle of the pond and headed for mom and pop.

  Crow, of course, was liking this because they were coming right toward him. He started to walk along the rock toward the little things, thinking he was going to get a tender little morsel...but dad duck was like, no way ...

 he hissed and came up out of the water flapping his wings. Crow decided to leave. Dad duck is watching crow in this picture.

Eventually, everything settled down. I don't know  how long that will last as the event goers had spied the duckings and were coming to take their pictures.

Parenthood!

Update on little lost duck and other things...

I was concerned yesterday when I could not see the little lost duck any where at the pond. Then today...

As you can see mom and dad are right there. Two days ago the little feller could not jump up onto the curb, today he went up a rock and a retaining wall, all totaled about a 2 foot climb.

Remember the momma with the 10 ducklings from a couple of weeks ago? She still has 7, she is right there with them when they sleep and when they are awake, she is an excellent mom.

 

two were in the water ,she's watching them and me.

From time to time when I am at the park I hear the tell tale clink, clank of...

Horseshoes!

Are you my mother?

Are you my Mother, by P.D. Eastman was one of my favorite books when I was growing up.

You remember, the baby bird falls out of the nest while mom is gone...and proceeds to ask everything it sees if it is its mother.

This morning My friend Henia and I had a real life Are you my mother adventure. A not-been-hatched-very-long ducking was being chased by a crow out into the parking lot. After chasing the crow away, we tried to herd the little thing out of the parking lot and back toward the water, but it was so little it couldn't jump back up on to the side walk so...I caught him, must be all those baby bunny wrangling skills, who knew the were species transferable?

 As we were walking toward the pond to put the duckling in, a lady came up and said she and her girls were there putting a momma Duck and her babies into the pond. The duck family had been in their back yard, but last night a raccoon came and was getting the ducklings.  She was wondering if the duckling I had was one of them that had fallen out of the box.

 We walked to the side of the pond that the newly released mom duck was with her brood...and put little lost duck in the water...out it popped , I caught it again and put it back in ...it tried to come out again, right toward us, then it turned and motored across the water, but not toward the mother duck...

See it, the black arrow is pointing at it...I know the arrow is hard to see too, sorry. the duckling kept going away from the mom and ducklings....

  hopped out of the water and ran along the bank. The two young girls , their mom and Henia followed , and found little lost duck had wedged itself between two rocks.

 They got the little dickens out and put it back into the water. It swam toward the mom and ducklings. She was like ," And, who are you?"  Little lost duck was like," MOTHER WHERE ARE YOU!"

 See it here, left of mom. Meanwhile a mallard pair had come quacking over to us from the other side of the pond , little lost duck made a bee line right for them.

 Ya so, I guess all mom ducks and  baby ducks do no look alike, to mom ducks and baby ducks...who knew, anyway, the little thing was not going to let more than an inch get between it and its mom.  A happy ending for all.

 

 

Take a liking to a viking...

Lycra man went off to the wilds of L.A. with is friend JC to ride the Cyclavia. So I took myself off the the Scandinavian Festival At California Lutheran University here in town.

 The viking village, something for everyone..

 Weaving for the womenfolk

 weapons for the menfolk

 Had to take this picture for the youngest daughter. It is the symbol for Loki..I was noticing ho much like Celtic design this is then, had my doho! moment...the vikings invaded...or visited as the fellow insisted, Ireland. I remember a tour buss driver in Dublin saying the best thing the vikings brought with them was trousers...

 see, viking dogs below...tones of onion!

 No lutefisk...but they were singing about it on the main stage.

 don't have a clue ...it certainly isn't curling, not on a day like today.

Only think I could think of was "whats in your wallet?"

 Nordic wear

 

 I don't know what it is called, sounded some what like a fiddle, but see the lever key things on the side?

Wreath making

 I think I found the ABBA Girlz

 Swedish pancakes with lingonberry and whipped cream...yum!