Duck Eggs, processed version of Nesting – 17/52, Week 17 Jump-Off, BlackBerry 52, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, April 2011, photo © 2011 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
A mallard has taken up residence outside the door of a busy commercial building I visit each day. She sits on the eggs at night. By day, the human foot traffic keeps her away. So she covers the nest with down and dried umber leaves. They blend easily with the gravel and cement. Adaptability. The humans who inhabit the building keep watch over her eggs; smokers on break are eager to depart the latest news. I watch and wait in silence, hoping for a hatching of ducklings in the middle of a wintry Spring.
The original photograph was posted as the Week 17 Jump-Off for BlackBerry 52. Lotus and I will respond to each other’s BlackBerry photos with text, photography, poetry (however we are inspired) for the 52 weeks of 2011. You can read more at BlackBerry 52 Collaboration. If you are inspired to join us, send us a link to your images, poetry, or prose and we’ll add them to our posts.
-posted on red Ravine, Friday, April 29th, 2011
-related to post: Of Thirsty Snakes And Ducks With Dry Bills
Beautiful! I’m on my way outside now to find some baby herons I heard were hatched a few days ago (just near my workplace). Adaptable, but precarious…
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Whatever posessed that maladjusted mallard mother to lay her eggs in such a place??
here’s a haiku/prayer for the wee ones:
thin shells, so fragile
open to all elements
keep them safe from harm.
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Teresa, baby herons! I hope you got to see them. That’s something I’ve never witnessed.
oliverowl, amazingly, the mallard blends in perfectly with her surroundings. On Friday, she was on the nest all day as we all came and went out of the building. She’s become quite the buzz around the place. I love that. It’s a way that people who might normally not notice are staying attuned to nature.
I took a few photos of the mother yesterday. She eyed me with one eye open, the other closed. She looks so peaceful sitting on the nest. I think she’ll be a good mother. I read that mallards have up to 10 eggs. And after they hatch, they lead the ducklings off to water right away. I’ll keep checking back in on their progress!
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How wonderful to be able to watch new life being nurtured along.
I’ve been watching the baby turtles make their way up the hill, looking for another pond. This is the first year I’ve seen the little guys. Usually we see at least one adult, late in the season, leaving.
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[…] Comments « Nesting & Resting […]
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Robin, how are the turtles? The little baby ones are so cute. My nephew just took a phone photo of a nest of baby birds with their mouths wide open. It was so adorable! All the little ones are hungry this time of year. When we shot our Strange Attractors Obsoletion Blues, the frogs were out mating and Liz captured some great video. When we hear the frogs, we know it’s Spring. Here’s to all the new life on a cold May Day!
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QM,
Did you read “Make Way For Ducklings,” when you were a kid? It was such a favorite! I think it was inspired by a true story of a family of ducks that brought up their family in down-town Boston.
I look forward to seeing photos of the ones you are watching…(from Lilly & cubs to Mallards for spring ;^) What body of water do you think she will choose? (Hope you are feeling well, now!)
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oliverowl, much better. Thank you! I have not read “Make Way For Ducklings.” Will have to check it out. I am amazed at how resilient the urban critters are. There are no lakes or bodies of water close to where this nest is. I am guessing she’ll have to waddle quite a ways to a lake or pond. Or set up house in one of the nearby drainage areas. The urban wetlands are disappearing fast as they are covered with developments. But there are a few drainage areas left with cattails and open water. Will keep you posted. I hope it doesn’t happen on a weekend. I’ll miss it! Poor girl. This weekend is so cold. I bet she’s had to sit on the nest all weekend to keep the eggs warm.
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[…] I’ve been checking on Mother Mallard every day since I first saw her little nest of eggs (see Nesting & Resting) in a high traffic area near an industrial complex. She sits patiently through human insensitivity, […]
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[…] Day — 10min, May Day Self-Portrait: Searching For Spring, The Yogi (Cover Page) — 14/52, Nesting & Resting, Pulling Out The Sun (By Day, By Night), BlackBerry 365 Project — White Winter Squirrel, […]
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