Ducklings, Hatchlings and How to Keep the Geese Out

I’ve actually never been a big fan of springtime in Northern Michigan. Oh my gosh! I know…but with all of the new arrivals around here I just can’t help but fall in love with this season.

It might sound crazy to those that live elsewhere, but for me, “spring” usually means MUD! With so many dirt roads, I’ve lived on one since I was 12, it’s impossible to keep anything clean…the car, the kids, the house, the dogs and so on…

I’m just fascinated. Everyday is different and I love it! I grew up on a lake but I don’t think I ever paid enough attention to see what was happening around me. Everything is coming to life.

Canadian Geese and their babies!

The baby geese are growing up so fast, it seems like everyday they’re an inch taller. Alright, so I know geese are really a nuisance and I swear when I woke up and saw them on the lawn, I let B know right away about our problem…

Bob says, “so shoo them off” – and of course I gave it my best effort…I grabbed my camera 😉 I figured that would send them into the water…hmmm, guess not…darn these things are so cute!

Until they poo! Here’s the solution.

We had these posts from our old house to use with a snow fence. The trick here is to get long enough posts to be able to stake them into the water. This serves several purposes: #1 the geese, for some reason, do not cross it. #2 the line doesn’t cross over onto the grass, which would make it difficult to cut – this was an issue last year. #3 it’s small enough that it isn’t visually disturbing and of course it doesn’t disrupt fishing.

I cannot tell you why this doesn’t deter the ducks, however. Oh my and fuzzy little puff balls of cuteness they are. They can’t quite climb the seawall yet, but I bet in the next couple of weeks they’ll be waddling all over. The yearly tradition of duckling feeding from cabin to cabin will commence soon. I can’t wait!

“Wait for me guys!” That little guy didn’t trail behind for very long.

Another new arrival for spring has me in complete awe. The dragonfly hatch. This is the neatest thing. Their eggs are laid in the water from the previous year, when the special moment arrives the little buggy pods (not a scientific term) crawls up just out of the water and begins emerging from the shell. The amazing dragonfly, then, lets his wings dry and flutters off…landing on the cattail grass allowing me take his picture, of course.

Warning: the upcoming photos might give you the heebies if you aren’t a bug person…

Phew…I’m glad that’s over with…buggy pods creep me out, but seriously this was so cool I couldn’t leave it out.

Moving on…

I’m totally in love with this bird feeder, a gift from my in-laws this past Christmas, I couldn’t wait to fill it. It looks beautiful hanging from a cedar tree over looking the lake. This entire bag of seed fit in the feeder…I was surprised…Wow, Meghan, maybe that was intentional, how smart…pardon me, I sometimes talk to myself…

I hope to capture some photos of our feathered friends soon.

A furry one…

So cute! All of this wildlife drove the dogs crazy when we first moved here and with only a few weeks in, they’re already getting used to it. But let’s face it…the W is so laid back I think those little guys could curl up with him and he wouldn’t even think twice…nap time is always on his mind. For Mr. D, however, all the activity keeps him wide awake.

A little story for you before I go…one quiet evening many moons ago several days ago, there was a human taking her 2 dogs for a walk. 1 dog was very calm while the other quite rambunctious. To the human’s surprise both dogs agreed that walking out onto the dock to calmly watch the amazing geese with her babies, would be a nice experience.

While the human was enjoying her surroundings…the beautiful scenery and chirping sounds of wildlife…lost in her own thoughts of wonder, the rambunctious doggy suddenly made a flying leap, splashing out into the water. This was very unexpected for the human.

“This little doggy must think he’s a retriever…or a very dumb dog,” thought the human. Thankfully the responsible human had a leash on her crazy doggy, as she was able to quickly scoop him out of the water.

In the meantime, the human’s very calm dog stood shaking his head, agreeing upon the human’s assessment that the rambunctious dog was simply dumb.

True story…and I’m pretty sure the W really was shaking his head…

I had full intention of writing a post about flowers this week. I even hinted at it on the facebook page and all of the flowers I piled into my trunk on plant sale day at the local market, was quite the teaser.

I’d have to say I’m a convert…I love spring! Tell me about your favorite season and what makes it so special to you. Share your springtime photos so I can see by tagging me on instagram.