Tuesday, November 16, 2010

On wood ducks and life





The Aussie Wood Ducks



The Aussie wood duck's call is a nasal type of sound

Within their range in numbers they abound

You even see them in parks of the town

The males distinctive in their grey and brown,

The brown spotted female the less colourful of the pair

within their range these water birds not rare

Near farm dams, swamp lands and Townpark lake

You see them search for food the female and her drake

In late Winter and early Spring they nest in hollow log or hole in trunk of tree

And nice to see them with their young family

In or near water in prime of the Spring

When wildflowers bloom and nesting birds chirp and sing

With four or five young in Spring their numbers multiply

These Aussie wood ducks of humans not that shy.



~ Francis Duggan



In the above photo these lovely adult wood ducks were the very proud parents of 24 ducklings whom they vigilantly protected. On the day that it poured rain (about 60ml) in Mildura (most rain in 13 years) one delightful duckling was left behind due to being saturated and just couldn't stand on his feet so we had to rescue him.

In the photo below you can see my son holding him ever so lovely and a few hours later we returned him to his family who welcomed him back with open wings.




Straight after we the children returned the first duckling, miss Grace discovered another almost dead. After being cuddled and huddled (photo below) the young duckling amazingly came back to life, this was such a delightful moment. We returned her a couple of hours later, the mother pecked at her beak and then pushed her back in with the rest of her siblings.


How priceless are these moments in life?

After hearing of a sudden death back at our home town of a man that we knew very well, I am once again reminded of how quickly a life can be snatched away and how today is all I really have to be all that God wants me to be, to love, share, appreciate, smile, care, and shine in the darkness.

 "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“All people are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

 but the word of the Lord endures forever"

1 Peter 1:22-25

9 comments:

  1. What a delightful experience - and gorgeous photo's to go with it!

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  2. Your two are just amazing with wildlife! Incredible!

    PS The lizards are still alive...poor things...

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  3. Dear Sarah,
    What a lovely post, full of hope and charity. what [precious moments indeed. Beautiful pictures.
    (((hugs)))
    Katia

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  4. Great pics!
    Sorry to read of the loss of a friend. xo

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  5. Sarah, I am so touched by this post! The pictures, the poem, the scripture, and the rescues with love! Thank you!
    Love,
    Leanne

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  6. I love ducks.

    In Canberra a mother duck likes to lay her eggs at the War Memorial's Pond of Remembrances - she has been doing it for a number of years. However it is a very long and dangerous walk back to Lake Burley Griffin with her little chicks, so staff at the War Memorial now help her back to the lake so she and her chicks will not be hurt by the crossing of the roads. Isn't that lovely.

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  7. Sarah,

    What beautiful pictures you have shared today.

    I must say that I was so excited when I followed the link back to you...you have a B&B...I used to own one in an old Victorian home. It was an amazing experience :)

    Thank you for your lovely comment and for visiting the cottage.

    M.

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  8. Sarah,
    I love how God's creation reminds us of the brevity of life. These pictures are so sweet. And thank you for being an encouragement to me!

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  9. I loved it all - the Science lesson, the life lesson, the spiritual lesson. What a beautiful experience you and the Lord provided for your children.

    Wow, is your beautiful daughter a replica of her beautiful mother. I think this is the first pic I've seen of her up close and she is adorable. Your little man is handsome, too. Your life looks so full and blessed.

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