While filling the water bowls and buckets of the five on Saturday I spotted this tiny frog hiding under some nettles under the big birch. I'd seen one or two [a couple of weeks ago even with their tadpole tails attached] around the big pond recently and thought it was a little late in the season, but I never got them on camera. So I raced back to fetch the camera hoping the little thing hadn't moved yet - it was still there:
And while I had the camera with me I thought I'd try and get photos of the waterhen chicks. I only ever see two at a time these days, but John assures me he's seen four, even yesterday.
Anke and Lane are not at all bothered while one of the chicks clambers overhead to get back to the island, and nor are Captain and his two white girls - too busy preening themselves:
The chicks are very quick to hide in the reeds, I only managed to get these two shots:
I've been getting some stick recently about taking too many flowers out of the garden for the Luncheon Club tables and helpers, so to prove my point that you wouldn't notice any were missing out of the garden I thought I'd put in 5 views of the garden showing plenty of colour [and even some ducks and a pheasant] ...... and I never even took any flowers from the front garden on Wednesday!
To get back to the fast growing ducklings - I tried a large, grated courgette for their breakfast on Saturday, hoping they'd think it was cucumber, and mixed it with some cottage cheese. Whether they thought it was cucumber or not, they schnozzled it up in no time at all!
Since making the little pond their own they spend most of their non-eating time there, only briefly for swimming .......
... usually they are on whichever side there is sunshine. In the mornings they first stay in the little run in front of the house because the early sun beams filter through the big cherry tree there.
In the late afternoons the sun hits this side of the little pond, and they spend most of their time there. On Saturday and yesterday I was able to take a few nice photos.
In the photo above left they are 'upstanding' because a cheeky pigeon had just landed pondside to have a drink, and on the right they had to stand up once more because the pigeon had just taken off again [note the meerkat greenbeak again, Annie!].
Sorry not to have commented on the last lot v busy at the mo ! Love all the pics and the commentary please do keep doing it !!! Good job they can bathe themselves now after all that cottage cheese !!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're not kidding, everything flies all over the place while they're digging in!
ReplyDeleteI had wondered what you were doing Annie; last I'd seen was you'd been abandoned by all but the dog, and I thought you might have grabbed him and disappeared yourself!
PS: Greenbeak has the prettiest feathers of all poking through above her winglets!