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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Life is just ducky in the Winter....

We went out for a drive a few days ago to look at the frost that was quickly melting off the trees.


This time of year, we do not see many ducks here because almost all of the rivers and ponds are frozen over with ice.


So we were thrilled to spy some on a little river that was open.

I love open water with snow scenes, and especially ones with ducks:





He was drinking some pretty cold water here!:





But, oh...

His colors!:


And it appears that his mate was staying with him this cold winter:




I think his belly was laying on some ice here. Brrrrr....






It was so peaceful. Quiet with just the ducks paddling about:







Looks like he is the king of all the females in the harem:






No wonder he is primping himself:






Whatchew lookin' at???:




I'll just chill (literally!) and maybe she will go away:




This little girl looks like she is either skating on one foot

or

the ice is so cold she is warming up her other leg!:




They finally ignored me.

They wanted their peaceful winter spot back to themselves.


Who could blame them?


We went quietly on our way after I whispered thank you to them for letting us take their photo...

29 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Gorgeous pictures, Joan.. The reflections are fabulous in some of them. Love the first one--showing the snow also... Beautiful!!!

We have had tons of rain and flooding here today. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Crazy weather!!!
Hugs,
Betsy

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

You certainly take a lot of interesting trips that provide us with so many great pictures! These ducks were posing for you!
Answering your question on my post, we have a rainy day, but I will watch what happens tomorrow, on the 25th -T. Day.

Unknown said...

wow, those have to be the most beautiful photos of ducks I've ever seen!

sharon said...

Love the duck life that you captured! What a guy, eh?

Going Like Sixty said...

I love your pix. I just wanted you to know.
:)

Ann said...

They sure weren't going to let you disturb their afternoon swim, huh?

Kerri Farley said...

Beautiful shots....love the reflections!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What a pretty scene! It does seem unusual to see the ducks in the snow and ice, I've hardly seen them around here. I love how the males colors really standout against the snow.

Bernie said...

I didn't realize the ducks were so colorful, great pictures my friend. Are you able to walk into the woods without your cast Joan, I thought about that last week as I know you and your husband like to snow shoe....:-) Hugs

Loree said...

Woo Hoo I'm first :) The d ucks are cute but it's their reflection in the water which really fascinates me.

Lynn Kellan said...

I love ducks, especially when they quack. So cute! And I bet they don't eat spiders when they sleep...

rainfield61 said...

If I am the duck, you will not find me in the water.

Unknown said...

And what a beautiful winter spot it is, too!

Always marvel at your photo finds and how fantastic your photos are.

Brian Miller said...

i imagine i would be hopping from one fot to the next as well if i was having to stand on ice. funny story you came up with for them. beautiful colors!

DJan said...

I love the ducky reflections, and yes, he's gorgeous. Just like your pictures. I lay awake at night thinking of new words to use to describe how your pictures make me feel: GREAT!

Unknown said...

Well, it sure is really cold out there. That's pretty clever of the the little duck to warm one of her legs.
Once again beautiful pics...:)

The Retired One said...

Betsy: I know what you mean! We usually get all snow (and lots of it) this time of year and we even had rain yesterday too!

Tatyana: I love your tradition of
celebrating "name days"..we had an exchange student from Spain once and they also do this.

Eva: Why, thanks! Wow! What a nice thing to say!

Sharon: Yes, he was quite the guy...holding on to all those females all this cold winter!!!

GoingLikeSixty: Awwwww...thanks so much (blushing here).

Grannyann: I was SURE I would spook them and they would fly right away, but no...they stayed. The river is next to a winter road that was plowed, so I have a suspicion maybe someone is feeding them so they may have gotten a little tame.

Kerri: Good eye! That is one of the reasons I loved taking the photos..the water reflections were so clear!

Catherine: This is the first time we have found ducks in our area this late in the winter...but like I said, it is unusual to find unfrozen rivers here now too.

Bernie: you would die laughing seeing me, Bernie. I wear my clunky removable cast in the truck...and make my poor hubby drive me around the woods whereever we can get through and then hop out and hobble over to where I can take shots. hahahaaa...The other day there were waterfalls (stay tuned for the photos which I will be posting soon) and he had to help me through some snow to get to them..he kept saying "we shouldn't go there" but held on and helped me to get there...the cast/boot got a little wet, but it is made of plastic and foam, so I just let it air dry when I got back home. ha

Loree: The reflections were what I loved too along with the snow...I rarely get open water with snow in the same shot here because all the rivers usually are frozen over here.

Lynn: They eat them when they are awake I bet. ha

Rainfield: The ducks feathers don't let the water penetrate much..it beads up on their backs...but ooooh, my feet would get cold,ha!

Gaston: Awwww...thanks! I love looking at everybody else's photos on the blogs too...it is such fun.

Brian: Ha. I don't think I would be one of the harem staying here for the winter for him...I'd be like...SEE YA! ha

DJan: Oh, NO...don't stay awake all night on account of my pictures! ha I'm so glad you appreciate them so much and that you stop by everyday to leave me a comment..it is so sweet. And believe me, I get so much pleasure out of taking them that even if no one liked them, I would take them just for me. :-)

Mr. Stupid: Thanks! I think the next time I am outside I will try it. :-}

Jeanette said...

Beautiful. They look so peaceful!

CiCi said...

These are great. I personally have a special feeling for ducks so this meant a lot to me. I particularly like the pic of the female duck in water with the reflection of her head and there seems to be a shy smile there.

Jientje said...

" After I whispered thank you"!!! I would do the same! ROFL!!!
He does look handsome, doesn't he? No wonder he's surrounded by so many females!

Anonymous said...

Excellent shots!!! The best way to shoot a duck!! The colors are gorgeous. but I still don't miss the winter!

Fran Hill said...

Ducks always have that way of laughing at you - har har har har - as you go past, as if you've got your trousers tucked in your knickers or something. They make me feel insecure. Great pictures.

L. D. said...

Hey, I almost missed this one. Dashboard can bury things so fast and I have to really go back far to be sure I didn't miss them. Neat photos of all of the ducks. They didn't migrate. I didn't know that they would stick around.

The Retired One said...

Jeanette: They were so quiet and beautiful, for sure.

Technobabe: I love ducks too! Wow, you can tell when a duck smiles??? I'll have to have you look at all the pictures to check if they are or not!

Jientje: He's a chick magnet,alright!

Cathy: Yes, they were gorgeous! Your comment about winter cracked me up..how soon those Yoopers forget when they are in Texas...

Fran: Now, that is news to me...I didn't know they were laughing at me!

L.D.: Good Lord, don't be missing any of my posts now, you hear??? I sure hope they stay all winter now..it is so nice to see them during the frozen winter!

S-V-H said...

o.k.... no more Blue Herons, no more Pelicans, nor more seagull and other feathered friends from the beach :(

But I like ducks also... and yours are very pretty and cute. I always loved ducks and they make a great pictures, especially in the snowy surroundings.

Great shots, Joan! :)

Far Side of Fifty said...

Beautiful Ducks..you have open water for them..we don't ..maybe in April or May:)

SquirrelQueen said...

Gorgeous shots, you know I love the ducks too. Great shot of the one foot up, I still can't figure out how they manage to sleep that way sometimes.

Rick (Ratty) said...

Great post! I miss seeing ducks right now. This does give me an idea to go on a quest for some thawed bodies of water. Maybe I can find some ducks too.

The Retired One said...

Susanne: Thanks! Yes, I miss the pelicans..but heck, I will be back down there in April for the birth of a grandchild,so you can be sure I will be taking some more photos of Florida then. ha

FarSide: We normally DON'T have any open water here this time of year, either...! We sure were surprised to see the ducks there too.

SquirrelQueen: I know! Maybe we could try to go duck tipping (like cow tipping) hahahaaa

Ratty: I bet you will see some if you look, because we never see open water or ducks here this time of year....and I know you have less ice than us now. Good luck!

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I retired in June 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I worked at several jobs as a Registered Nurse prior to retirement. I LOVE being retired! Blogging has offered me a whole new venue to start writing again and to share new hobbies such as gardening, birdwatching and sharing my nature photography. If you like my blog, PLEASE click on "follow this blog". Having a lot of followers reading my blog gives me incentive to continue to do photography and to continue to write. I also LOVE comments, so I encourage you to leave me a comment after you read my posts. Thanks everyone, for taking the time to read me!!

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