Australia Photo
Taking the new family out on an excursion
Out on an expedition to explore the world this fine spring morning
What new signs of life have you noticed as the weather warms?
Family Excursion
6 thoughts on “Family Excursion”
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I saw a delightful duck-family expedition when we were in the UK.
Mother Duck was leading her family towards a section of rough water – I imagine it looked like a long stretch of cataracts to those little adventurers.
Serenely, Mother Duck bobbed along – I’m sure keeping a quiet eye on her youngsters. All but one little fellow negotiated the challenge. The other one found himself going around in circles! Mother watched while he righted himself before catching up with the rest of his family.
I’m sure he would have paddled along like a veteran mariner on the next outing!
Ducks are so charming being so caring with their family responsibilities, as in your example teaching them the ropes –
In this photo – the way there’s a parent at each end keeping the toddlers together and safe… Too cute 🙂
I am still scarred by seeing a little flock of baby ducks padding along behind their mum at our local park when I was a child. A nasty crow swooped down and tried to snatch the tail ender. The mother grabbed his foot and they had a tussle. I think mother duck won. A lesson in the realities of mother nature. My mum pointed out that the crow probably had a nest full of babies to feed too!
As you say mother nature at work – But we do have double standards ~
We look in awe at a sea eagle swoop to catch a fish, but a crow swooping on a cute fluffy duckling is not the same!
The other week we had a Mangrove Dove fly into the window – It sat stunned for a while on the deck trying to recover when our resident family of butcher birds started to swoop on it – The dove tried to get away but not fully compos flopped to the ground where the butcher bird family went in for the kill –
I have watched and admired their hunting skills as they sit on the fence and dive down to collect some bug or invertebrate from the grass…. but swooping on a warm blooded creature had me running out to the rescue!
The dove has now recovered and been returned to the wild… but why was their wanting dove for dinner any different in my eyes to them taking a worm? 😉
Such a sweet photo Linda, and love the comments, too.
Once on a walk down a country road, a family of Canada geese — mom, dad and 3 very little ones — was walking on the road in front of me. As I got closer to them, they got upset because the high grasses on both sides would not let them exit the road. All five started trotting to keep ahead of me with mom and dad putting themselves between me and the babies. The babies were so tiny and this was maybe their first time out. After a minute or so of this fast walking, one little guy just sat down in the road and wouldn’t budge. That’s when both mom and dad attacked me. Canada geese are really huge birds, but they’re just birds, right? Well, I was definitely defeated and couldn’t continue down that road past those two frantic warriors!
Josie recently posted..7 Distilled Travel Tidbits From Around the World — May 2013
The motherly instinct to protect their young is strong indeed Josie!
But geese do have a fair reputation and are used as guards and watchdogs I know at some business warehouses as they’re not to be messed with and will seriously attack –
Not like these little fluffy ducklings!