We have ducks ~ and the Bigs are 2!

We have ducks.  And sometimes they're all in a row.

We have ducks in the same way that we have deer and turkeys and coyotes and opossums and bears (I wonder how those cubs are doing...)--sometimes they wander through our yard.  A pair of ducks has been hanging out in one of our seasonal ponds.  They paddle and dunk, and occasionally they line up in a row.  I have seen the drake on the pond more recently than the hen, which leads me to believe hope that she is now happily sitting on her clutch.

I walked the perimeter of the pond this morning, hoping to find the duck's nest, but all I found were some deer ticks (two, so far) and an old rusted aerosol can.  So either my duck doesn't have a nest, at least not here, or she is well camouflaged. 

Since they've decided to hang out here, I'm sure this pair is clever, so I choose to believe their nest is just very well hidden, and that, in about 4 weeks, we'll have ducklings, too.  I hope the pond lasts that long.

Not my duck.

Speaking of birds that may or may not belong to me, the Bigs turned two yesterday!  Happy, happy hatch-day to my girls.  I neglected to do anything special to help them celebrate (besides setting them loose to enjoy a smorgasbord of worms, bugs, and grass for an hour or so, and wishing Esther a happy birthday as she groomed herself while sitting on my knee), because I've been preoccupied with Indigo for the past couple of days.

Indigo hasn't been doing well--she's been moping around, and she refuses to tell me what's wrong or how I can help her feel better.  After Hazel's sudden death last month, I admit I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to the chickens' health.  I'm pretty sure Hazel died from something that's not contagious, but I don't really know.  Indigo was a little better yesterday, and today she's better than yesterday, so she seems to be on the mend.  At least she's eating again, although she's hasn't given us any eggs for several days.

I'm making it up to the Bigs today, the second anniversary of their homecoming.  I brought them hard boiled eggs and strawberries this morning, and I think we'll kill the bag of Grubblies this evening.  I also got them a gift--dried mealworms, which we'll dig in to this weekend, I'm sure.