Cherry has new babies

Cherry's eggs have hatched over the last 2 days, and she has 7 ducklings, from 7 eggs.  She chucked one egg out a week ago, and while it was cool, it was not cold, so I put it in the incubator... just in case - it hatched and is now keeping Tomas company.  The Tomas gang is now 5 strong, and all lavenders I think!!

Cherry has 3 lavenders, a black (YAY!!!!!!!!!!), a choc, a choc mallard (?) and a really interesting little colour, that looks choc mallard, but silver white where the choc mallard is yellow.  Will be very interesting to watch this little one grow up, he/she is in front in the first pic.  And in the second pic, you can see choc mallard immediately behind Mum, and then the little silver guy - he was last to hatch and still not all fluffed up yet.

I think the black means that my favourite boy Frankie is a Dad :)

Pasquale

He's here!!  Better for a good night's sleep and now he's learning the ropes.

On the move - boundaries to patrol!!  Where'd they move that fence to?????

The collar is not a welcome addition!!

Helping 'Dad' get the kennel in the right place.

All work and no play makes Pasquale a dull boy - no chance!!

A shepherd meets (?) his flock.... Pasquale is under his day bed, and the ducks are being just a bit too scary for him.  I am sure they will all sort it out quickly.

Sad News

Do not panic!!  Pasquale is well, happy and ready to join us on Friday.

But sadly his bigger brother was biten, yesterday, by a snake and died :(

Definitely not fair!!

Stay tuned for good news, and more pics once Pasquale arrives, we are tripping over ourselves to welcome him - Loli will be very pleased to have some company, she has been quite down this week.

Catchya
Rosie

Tomas or Tomasina??

Tomas is a very tiny duckling, left behind after his mum and siblings visited my friend Carol's garden and found, alone and frightened by her husband Tom after he finished washing the car.

I think he's a Pacific Black duckling, and he's been here all by himself since Monday.  But happy happy joy joy today he has a lavender bibbed call duckling - who looks BIG compared with him - to keep him company.

Tomas is a real character and has become accustomed to my voice, and likes to be near my face when I pick him up.  Unfortunately he hasnt worked out that my hands are part of me, and instead regards them as evil duckling threatening things that send him into quite a tizz!!

I am very pleased that he now has a friend, and if things go well in the incubator there should be  a couple more on the way :)  Tomas seen here sitting on the leg of a pink teddy - doesnt every duckling deserve such good treatment!!  LOL!!

This pair of Pacific Blacks visit every day, I've had up to 3 pairs here at any one time, so when Tomas/ina grows up there will be plenty of 'like' company.

Look Out!!

Look out foxes, look out goannas, look out snakes, look out EVERYBODY!!

Pascquale is coming!!

SeaGull is back!!

Funny little SeaGull is home again.  She was living 2 doors down the road, but Gary kindly agreed to let me have her back.

Toad's Grave pieces

We've finished them, and placed them on her grave.   They look good and should mean her resting place remains undisturbed.

Every Reason to be Strung Out

Today has been another very stressful day!!

I went to the vet's today to collect the meds for the various animals here who need them.  Chantal - the vet who diagnosed Toad's heart arrythmia (sp???) was on the phone at the desk, and Jancey (boxer owning vet nurse) came to serve me.  I told her I didnt needed the vetmedin because Toad died yesterday, and she burst into tears.  Chantal finished her phone conversation abruptly and I had to go through yesterday afternoons events.  Now we were all blubbing - super, I was fine before I got there!! LOL!

Next I went to the Bunnings for supplies - straighten up, fly right.

Freya and I were sitting on the back porch making mosaic pictures on the concrete slabs that will cover Toad's grave when the ducks seemed to be making even more noise than usual.  I thought that they seemed to be swapping between Pond 1 and Pond 2 A LOT more than usual.

When I looked up, hard and long, there between us and ducks on the edge of the pond was a fox, bold  as brass and trying to grab my ducks!!  It was 1:30pm on a cloudless day - what the Whitney Houston was going on???????????????  I yelled 'its a fox' to Freya - errr nerrr - and ran screaming like a Banshee down to the fence.  The fox scarpered down the paddock and over the fence.  We did a head count and discovered I've added so many ducks recently that I really dont know how many I should have!!  I think they are all there!!

We went back to finishing Toad's grave pieces and then went in for  a late lunch.  Once again the ducks were making a racket and when I looked out the window they were trying to see off a goanna (egg thieving nuisances, but a protected species) ARGHHHH  Once again I am in full flight and screaming like a wild thing.  The goanna is treed.

We returned to the mosaics after lunch - do you think all the excitement will have curdled the glue???? - and then the goanna came down from the tree, more mucking about.

I am sooooo ready for a nice quiet day - but how to achieve it????  We lost no eggs to the goanna and thankfully, no ducks to the fox.  Toad is barely cold and already we are missing her guarding duties.  I had said no more dogs, but now its just a question of what we name the Mareema puppy that I will be purchasing forthwith!!

Here are the un-grouted pieces Freya and I made today.  Tomorrow we will finish them, and lay them in place.

Vale Toad

Sad day today, our crazy boxer Toad collapsed and died this afternoon.  We knew we were on borrowed time, a heart murmur and an arrhythmic heart beat meant that even with the meds she was never going to have a  long life.  Yesterday she played a chase game with visitor Shelby, this morning she had a fab walk in the forest, but this afternoon a race along the fence with another dog from our street was just too much for her.  I am very grateful to our neighbour Mick for helping to bury her this evening.

Birthday Ducks

What do you give someone who already has plenty of ducks?  Yes, you're right, MORE DUCKS!!  LOL!!  


Yesterday silvers Sue and Willie arrived along with whites Wanda and K-K-Ken.  They are lovely little ducks, especially Willie who is teeny tiny, and they are settling in well.  Willie took a while to realise that the greens were IN the water and were yummy, but the other 3 got it straight away.  We'll see how quickly he catches on to soaked seed and the bread/milk/yoghurt routines ;-D


They are doubly precious because their parents were taken by a fox on Sunday night!!

K-K-Ken, Sue and Wanda

K-K-Ken and Wanda

Sue

Willie and Sue

Wanda

Willie

Birthday

Had a lovely birthday yesterday - soft shelled crab and champagne for lunch then a walk along the beautiful beach at Jervis Bay, white squeaky sand and turquoise water - forgot the camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Tomorrow my birthday present arrives :)  Watch this space!!  LOL!!

Just Ducky

Ariadne back in the main group again, and meeting up with Deano.

This is Inge.

Paulinchin (centre, front) meeting Joey (left) and Jesus (back)

Toad is very protective of the ducklings, and seems to have followed them to the big group, she often sleeps next to the fence, which most of the adults regard as hostile, and they form their V pattern, and march toward her in attempt to see her off.  As you can see, its not even slightly successful, Toad is not interested in what they have to say!!  Finally a pic of Joey showing his speccy blue speculum.

Judas is a Troublemaker

Thursday was a busy duck day.  I had decided to take the last photos of Ariadne with all her ducklings together in the 'baby' pen, fill up their bellies and then move them all into the grown ups area.

On my way over to do that I heard a familiar quack coming from a designated 'duck free zone' ie the lily pond!!  Further investigation revealed Judas hiding in the reeds, quacking for all she was worth - something she does A LOT!!  Judas has a gammy leg, and flies quite a bit now, but seems to be low on navigation skills - or is deliberately willful, who can tell?

The lily pond has steep sides and is difficult for little ducks to get out of for the most part, so Freya and I risked life and limb to steer Judas to the easiest place for her to get out, and walk back to the baby pen.  She was having none of it.  She got to the edge of the pond, then flew straight over our heads and into the grown ups pond!!

Gave up on the family photo shoot, and big feed before the challenge of meeting all the adults at once!!  Herded the rest of the family through the gates and they are all an integrated group now.

Yesterday Judas got left behind when everyone left the pond to see what good stuff I might have in the feed bucket, so once again she took to the air, she flew right over me, and landed back in the baby pond!!  Rescued her, put her back with the family!  She is a very wayward duck, but with a voice like a fog horn we'll always know where she is!!

Chops and Chums

Chops is enjoying the company of the Muscovy ducklings.  The darkest one's eye is gradually getting better, less cloudy, but I dont think it can see out of it... yet.

These 2 are very yellow ducklings with black tails, and they often are together, might have to call them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!

Thursday was hatch day

We had 7 ducklings hatch on Thursday and they are all growing on well, and company for the one early starter who hatched on Tuesday!!  Somehow I have 9 photos of 8 ducklings... dont know which one I've got twice, there are a few distinctively marked ones but several lavender-ish ones, with and without eye stripes and bibs.  Will be interesting to see what colour they turn out to be.  They are as cute as buttons!!  The last group had B - Biblical names, and this group will have C - Culinary names, which means Chops fits right in!!

Here are some of the gang in 'the green room'.

The Rose Garden, a late post!

Took these photos the other day (Mar 5) but didnt get enough time (how unusual!) to get them posted.  I really really love Fiona's wish, the bloom and 3 buds I photographed earlier in the week have developed into the most wonderful display, the colour is dazzling.

Super Star had opened up a bit more, and was looking spectacular.

I have planted a climbing rose, Pierre de Ronsard - for my French, soon-to-be son-in-law Antoine.  The flowers are quite peony-like and gorgeous.  It will be climbing up the flag pole soon, so much more fun than a flag!!

I dont know the name of this little floribunda rose - so if you do, please tell me :)  Very pretty, but I still prefer the Hybrid Teas.