Woohoo - the cuteness has begun. It's not so hard to blast myself out of bed early when there are rewards like this. Here are some pictures from the pond on this warm, sunny morning.

     
   
     
'Swimming Lessons' quacks Mama and most of the ducklings show up.
 
     
   
     
Wait for me. I couldn't find my water wings!
 
     
   
     
Tic-tac-toe. Three in a row. There's safety in numbers, right?
 
     
   
     

Hey! Look down there! Twins!
 

     
   
     

Where'd they go? Mine vanished!
 

     
   
     
Do you think she's going to teach us any tricks? Or will we just swim back and forth, back and forth?
 
     
   
     
Wanna try going in circles? Ooooooh! I'm getting dizzy!
 
     
   
     
Anyone got a comb? I can't do a thing with my feathers.
 
     
   
     
Is this green stuff good to eat? It smells kinda funny.
 
     
   
     
Ahhhhh, the sun feels good. And it dries my feathers lickety-split!
   

I believe I had the pleasure of watching some newly hatched killdeer this morning. They weren't there yesterday! It's a bit hard to see them in some of these pictures as they blend with the scenery well. I could not get over how very tiny they were, only a few inches tall.

Baby killdeer always come out running. They hatch with their eyes open, and as soon as their downy feathers dry, they start scurrying about, following their parents and searching the ground for something to eat.

Newly-hatched killdeer can't fly, and they need their killdeer parents for protection and guidance, but they are a lot closer to independence than most baby birds. [ The Precocious Killdeer ]

     
   
     
Oh hi! We're new to the pond. Nice to meet you.
 
     
   
     
Whoaaaa - he's brave, talking to strangers.
 
     
   
     
Hey, what's that noise?
 
     
   
     
Oh it's just Ma and Pa. They are afraid something will happen to us.
 
     
   
     
I guess we'd better head on over to them or they might ground us.
   
     
   
     
Okay - all present and accounted for. Now - Nap Time!