Red Light, Green Light, Go!

So I took Freya out last night....first let me include this preamble. I am heretofore adding news and notes about the pond here because it is a pond, and there will be times Conner is in it. It only makes sense to put pond news on a Duck blog, right? Right.

Now, where was I, oh yes, taking Freya out. Here I am with Freya off doing her Freya thing while I walk around with this nifty little head lamp on my head. I use it to startle unsuspecting critters into frozen statues because I like to see what nocturnal beasts roam my backyard. It really is fun so stop judging me.

So I went to the pond and conducted a little experiment. I set the lamp to the Red light setting, because it is much dimmer and the range of focus is much smaller. Easier for perusing a natural habitat in the most covert of ways without actually using night vision. With lamp set to red I creep barefoot -- for stealth -- over to the pond to see if I could catch any frog activities. Lo and behold the Red light worked! Experiment was a success! The frogs barely noticed I was there. I say barely because some brown 7 month old four-legged beast was making an awful lot of racket. Still, here is some of what I saw.

Now, before you all jump to conclusions and say, Jeremy, that light is hardly red. I want to say, I know. What I did was set my camera up to shoot, then quickly hit them with a douse of petrifying light. Then I went back to covert ops mode.

This is one of my new friends in the pond. I think he totals number 11 frog now.

I admit, the images are on the darker side, but what do you expect, it was 10:00 at night and I was ninja shooting photos here.


Here is a distance shot, getting my feel for the land.



Here is one on zoom to be safe.



This photo was not on zoom, I was actually this close. And for all you out there wondering, yes I did pet the frog, and no I don't have a wart. And for those weirdos of you wondering if it is a prince, or princess. I don't know, I didn't kiss it, I'm not some kind of creeper.

Duck Spans.

Ok, after being given a bit of info, and deciding it was time to research this myself, I went on the prowl, lurking in the darkest corners of Duck information. Stumbling from the stacks I found out, from various sources, ducks live to be 10-15 years old. Not duck years, cat year, or the ever so popular dog years. They are human years, and that is a long time.

It send my mind wandering, and rather quickly as my mind so often does, it came up with a lame joke about being long in the tooth, which obviously is just duck candor amongst friends. I say this because duck teeth aren't really teeth are they? They are more like tiny little scrubber pads, much like a fish. The are primarily used to grasp and hold things that are wriggly and moist, such as a worm.

But, all jokes and lessons aside...this duck of mine, Conner, is going to be living with, and as long as, Freya, most likely, since both are roughly the same age. Freya is slightly younger, almost a year, but that means Conner will be the senior adviser on staff when they run for neighborhood office.

It also means something else. A point a friend showed me, I don't have an angry old cuss. I have a mouthy...billy (since ducks have bills, come on people, I shouldn't have to explain all the jokes) teenager on my hands, full of pomp and pride, big quacks and short fuses. Oh he is going to be a joy for a while still. I wouldn't be surprised to see a major loss of feathers simply because he can't stop running his Bill at everything that walks in his general direction. Dogs, kids, some humans, squirrels, rabbits, birds, man my duck is a bully. Thank goodness Freya is here to keep him in check. His Green Lantern to Green Arrow, his Eric to Hyde, his Desi To Lucy, his...you guys get the point.

So world, here is to 10-15 long happy years.

Angry old cuss.

I'm not sure the life cycle of a duck, I mean living from start to finish. I certainly know about the life cycle when a stupid dog gets a hold of one. Jerk. But the full span, still not sure.

What does it matter, you ask? Well it matters in the sense that I think Conner is starting to reach old codger status. He hates when Freya gets near his water, his tree, and most of all his person...er...duck.

You see, a few months back I reported that Conner was tempered. Well that temperament is like hatred now, I think. Rarely goes a visit where he isn't instigating something. His favorite thing to do? Wait for Freya to turn her back, chase a stick, or just out right pee, then he will sneak up and nip her feet, pinch her ears, or grab onto that droopy bit of skin dogs have on their necks. Then the raucous begins. Feathers scattering, wings flapping, paws pounding, and two very set upon animals chasing.

Of course his feathers are in a constant state of ruffle, and his beak is showing ugly signs of wear and scratching, but he never stops, and Freya never gives and inch. To watch the two you'd think they hated each other, but from what I have seen there is no ill-will, or malevolence. Just constant picking.

It makes me wonder what Conner is playing at, because he likes to go on the back porch and chase the cat as well, who is so old and indifferent to him he just climbs higher than Conner can get. Cats and their aloof attitudes. God love 'em. Still he loves eating the cat food, and refuses worms as a dietary supplement. He will let you pet him, but only if cornered, and if you hold him long enough he will stop the crazed flapping and give you audience.

In fact writing all this now I don't think he is old...I think he might be a head strong twenty something looking for trouble...maybe one week here in the next year or so he will learn some stoicism and just stop being and aggressor.

Maybe.

Then again I could be out of my mind.

Oh, last I mentioned the eggs. They failed terribly in the hatchery. In fact Ms. Aslinger went and bought some feeling so guilty over a matter she could neither control or help. Still, Shannon took the ducks home with her, and I have still heard no reports good or bad, so maybe that is a good sign, maybe not. Who knows.