Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Make Way for Ducklings!

Yesterday, 25 May 2009, my grandson Lucas turned 5 years old!!!, and Princess Leia celebrated the day by producing these six beautiful ducklings. One of the oldest Anam Cara ducks, she is a Tufted Magpie with a bunch of feathers on either side of her head in Princess Leia-style. It takes twenty-eight days of nearly constant warmth from the duck's body for ducklings to hatch out, and Princess Leia's brood was right on schedule. She was away from the nest for just a few minutes each day to get food and water as well as to get her feathers wet in the pond. The egg shells need a certain amount of moisture to make it possible for the ducklings to develop and to peck their way out at hatching time, and the Princess gets it exactly right every year. This is her 8th batch of ducklings!

2 comments:

  1. They are adorable! And Happy Birthday to Lucas!

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  2. Hi Sue--
    She's a lucky duck to have all those cute kids and to live at Anam Cara, where there's such a beautiful view from her pen. What else could an aquatic bird ask for?

    Erin

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