One with Nature

You might think that, living in the suburb of a major metropolitan area, we would not see all the wildlife creatures that I was used to seeing as a little girl. Growing up in the country near farms, I definitely saw plenty of cows, chickens, rabbits, and the like. On many occasions we heard coyotes at night, and I even recall seeing skunks and racoons crossing through our yard. However, my children are not at all deprived because they are growing up in the city. First of all, every year there are bald eagles nesting in the woods behind our neighbor's house. Secondly, because we live in a neighborhood of lakes (man-made by the neighborhood developers) there is never a shortage of ducks, geese, otters, and loons to observe. Thirdly, we certainly have our fair share of deer running through our backyard and eating our flowers. We've even spotted a red fox here and there. But, the coolest thing thus far for the kids, is to have the opportunity to watch a mallard duck nest on our retaining wall amongst the hostas. I spotted her about a week and half ago as I was surveying my prennials to see what made it through the harsh winter. Since then, we've seen her come and go. We were never able to see the eggs because she would cover them up before leaving. However, yesterday morning we were able to catch a glimpse at the clutch of eggs. In fact, she worried us because she was gone all day with her eggs being uncovered. So, I did some research and even called the DNR. As it turns out, she will not start incubating her eggs until the last one is laid. So, it was likely that she was not yet done laying all of her eggs. Thankfully, this morning she has returned and has been spotted on her nest all day so far. We will now take careful notice to see if she is incubating. If so, then in about 28 days, her eggs will hatch. The unfortunate part is that once they all hatch, the mother immediately walks her ducklings to the water, so there is a good chance the kids will never get to see them...bummer. But, it's still wonderful for them to experience the beauty of nature so up close and personal.