News From the Pond

We haven't posted about the waterfowl in awhile and some of you were asking how they're doing.     The ducks, geese and swans are doing fine.
 Buster and Agnes have laid eggs and are such good parents to those eggs.   The problem is, somebuddy is not fertile so the eggs never hatch and they never seem to get the memo to abandon the nest when a month goes by. 

 Agnes and Buster both sit on the eggs but Buster is the better parent.  He never gives up!  And he's a good husband to Agnes.  When our dad enters the swan cottage and Agnes is on the nest and cries "help", Buster is right there to take care of any little problem that she might have☺

The Mute sissies are doing fine.    The Whooper girls are in the back on the island that dad created.   The geese and swans love it back there. 

 Dad set up 3 nesting boxes and these Barnacle Geese are always the first pair to set up housekeeping and lay eggs.     An issue has come up.   Snapping turtles are climbing the ramp that goes inside the nesting box house and they steal the eggs!   How cruel is that!

 So dad set the snapping turtle trap.   Those are chicken legs from the grocery store in that bucket.  Yup, they sit out in the hot sun and rot and stink and the snapping turtles like them even better.  Dad is hoping to catch lots of snappers and then comes the task of relocating them.   We don't want them here but they seem to migrate back every year because there's lot of good eatin' here. 

Speckles's ducks are all doing well.  Mom lost count but she thinks there are at least 10 of them.   The picture is blurry because these duckies don't ever walk - they run wherever they're heading.    Why do they always need to be in such a hurry?

We have been hanging out in the red barn lately. 

 Dad and mom have started the summer project already.   There will be a new roof on our family room and new sheathing and siding and windows and the porch to the right will be getting a huge makeover too.  It's going to be another very busy summer here. 

This past March, Elias, the mason was here and he and his helper partially dismantled the slate porch that was in front of the family room.  It was in a sad state and something had to be done. 

The porch continues all the way to the other side of the hood so more slate needs to be removed.   And at a later point, a rebuild has to happen.  
Mom and dad have LOTS to keep them busy!

Love ya lots♥
Molly and Mackie