Duck Blogging

Afternoon Respite: My Work Here Is Done

by TaMara (HFG)| April 29, 202112:51 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging

Everyone sends me duck stuff. This was my favorite yesterday, the sweet story of a dad who goes out of his way to make sure his duckling guests make it safely to the water.

Second: My Dad absolutely LOVES wildlife and birds especially. He's been a member of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for my non-UK lovelies) all his life, since he was a child (he's in his sixties now).

— Emma Newman (@EmApocalyptic) April 27, 2021

So last year, it was a bit of a saga. He was amazed she chose to nest on his balcony, delighted in fact, and watched over her and the nest during the first lockdown. Honestly, it was a gift for him too. He rearranged the planters on the balcony for safety…

— Emma Newman (@EmApocalyptic) April 27, 2021

This is my favorite part (and please read the entire thread here, it’s long but so joyful)

Imagine a man in his sixties COMMANDO CRAWLING ACROSS HIS OWN LIVING ROOM to get to the phone without frightening a nesting duck. That's… that's probably all you need to know about my Dad, really. He is that good.

— Emma Newman (@EmApocalyptic) April 27, 2021

And now she has a video!

In my world, it seems just like that, we have a flock:

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Respite Open Thread: The Duckteens Have Arrived

by TaMara (HFG)| April 14, 202110:07 am| 38 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Oh boy, we’ve entered the duckteen stage!

It’s time to spend time outside. Starting inside their pen so the big ducks could get to know them first, they quickly moved to exploring the yard. Despite Mabel protesting loudly, they always gravitate to wherever the big ducks are hanging, or follow them around the yard.

It started a little faster than I intended. After two days spending time in their pen, I opened the patio door to start the grill and they ran over and demanded to go outside. So, I popped them down the stairs and they promptly ran over to the big ducks. They have a death wish.

I decided to let them explore the yard as I prepped dinner, keeping an eye out, and they played nicely. So I put their pen away and now we are working on the transition to living outdoors. Maddie and Nora are my peacemakers, while Mabel is making sure everyone knows she’s the dominant duck in the flock, which Nikki interprets as a threat to Nora. So Nikki then takes on Mabel and I have to keep a close eye and step in on occasion.

More photos and a long video of their outside adventures here. (And all the duckling photos/videos are here)

Right now they are driving me nuts because they can’t go outside, it’s much too cold and snowing. But we are probably a week out from them being outside permanently, so there’s that. LOL

I have to run out for most of the day, I suspect it’s going to be a busy news day, so use this as your thread to come back to for relief from the crazy.

Respite open thread

Respite Open Thread: The Duckteens Have ArrivedPost + Comments (38)

Respite Open Thread: Loving Sons, Dogs and Ducks – Oh, My!

by TaMara (HFG)| March 28, 202112:00 pm| 26 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Some feel good after a rough week.

I needed this one this morning:

By now, most of you have probably seen this, but I wanted to make sure:

here’s the full story on Sisu, as well as many more pics of the two of them 🦄https://t.co/sHrKQAerXX

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) March 27, 2021

We don’t deserve dogs.

As promised, I finally put together the photos and video from week 3

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Open Thread: What’s In A Name?

by TaMara (HFG)| March 27, 20212:21 pm| 124 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Blogging

Looks like we could use a new post.

I owe you a full-fledged duckling post, but it’s been a busy week of cleaning up after the blizzard and taking care of increasingly more time-consuming soon-to-be feathered housemates. So here are a couple of photos from yesterday. Tomorrow they’ll be bigger still…

This happened yesterday:

I have lost all control. The ducklings were out and I was busy working. Suddenly all I hear are duck feet running and lots of squawking.

They had made their way to the bathroom and were making a ruckus at the bathtub.

To recap, three weeks old, they know the word bathtime, they know how to find the bathroom and they know how to get their point across. Give them another week, they’ll be running their own bath.

(Oh, please, warm weather hurry up, these guys need outside time!)

So I’ve kind of named them. But I’m not sharing in case it doesn’t stick and you guys complain for the next 8 years that you know them as their original name from when they were 3 weeks old. 🙄

How about you take a swing at it? What should I name them? They have very distinct personalities. The larger one is very grumpy and protective. Not fond of being picked up and prone to nibbling on me. The smaller one is the adventurous one and loves to be held.

Remember….we don’t know their sex yet, but by their voices, I’m still suspecting they are both female.

No. Food. Names. It’s not funny, even though you think it is. 😁

Otherwise, open thread

Open Thread: What’s In A Name?Post + Comments (124)

Respite Open Thread: Ducklings Week 2 Update

by TaMara (HFG)| March 18, 202112:00 pm| 110 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging

The speed at which they grow is amazing. Here they are on Saturday. Just a couple of ducklings with their Great Dane and his stuffed duck.

And here they are today. They grow like Great Dane puppies! And their feet are sooo big now, it’s comical. I tried to get a photo of them, but cooperative they were not. I’ll try again tomorrow.

This has been a big week. They’ve been learning to swim (yes, they kind of have to learn), they’ve spent time running around the house (for enrichment – once the weather is nice, they’ll go outside in their penned area to explore), and their time with the Danes much more playful and they hold their own.

When they were running around the living room the other night, Bixby brought them his tug rope and they went after the fringe. I intervened before it took a turn. He continues to bring them toys to play with when they are out of their crate.

Bless the big Beast for being such a love.

As their third week progresses they’ll begin to get their pin feathers and move into their awkward phase. When Penelope came to live with us, she was just moving out of that phase – she was about 4-5 weeks old. As weather permits, these two will spend more and more supervised time outside. There are several neighborhood kids who cannot wait.

Open Thread: Bixby’s Ducklings

by TaMara (HFG)| March 10, 202111:10 pm| 45 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Duck Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Blogging

Bixby was a good boy tonight and calmly hung out with the ducklings. He was quiet enough that the ducklings decided it was okay to investigate him. He was a happy boy. He was not as happy when Gabe joined the party.

I’m off to put the big ducks to bed. We are expecting anywhere from 8 inches to 3 feet of snow this weekend, LOL. I figure by Friday they’ll let us know for sure. Meanwhile, I’m prepping the big ducks for the worst – it’ll be warm enough for them to stay in their coop, but I suspect I’ll be doing a lot of proactive shoveling to their coop and around it if we get the big numbers.

Looks like we could use an open thread.

Open Thread: Bixby’s DucklingsPost + Comments (45)

Respite Thread: Ducklings Update

by TaMara (HFG)| March 9, 20219:51 pm| 30 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

As promised, a duckling update. They are growing like weeds, eating bowls of food. I finally had to change out their small bowl to a larger bowl and I’m still filling it three times a day or more.

They spend most of their time eating, swimming in their water bowl – I’ll probably try bathtub time later this week – and sleeping on their heat pad. They spend a few minutes several times a day on their blanket (okay, Scout’s blanket, but she doesn’t seem to mind) building up their leg strength.

They seem healthy and happy, so I’m seriously thinking of names. They are still just “the girls” for now (even though sex is undetermined yet).

Today they surprised me. I put them on their blanket, then went into the kitchen to get my camera. And. They. Followed. Me. Quacking all the way. Of course, I got them to repeat it so I could get it on video. I guess they’ve imprinted on me. ❤

Video and more photos here

Respite open thread…

Respite Thread: Ducklings UpdatePost + Comments (30)

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Fuck if i know. i just get yelled at when i try it.

Call the National Guard if your insurrection lasts more than four hours.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn – Nancy Pelosi

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

I really should read my own blog.

The willow is too close to the house.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Shocking, but not surprising

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Women: they get shit done

Saul Alinsky is my co-pilot.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Yes we did.

They are all Michael Cohen now.

This is all too absurd to be reality, right?

I’m only here for the duck photos.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?