Mallard Chicks Grow Up
It is the first week of August, and most of the young waterfowl born on our lake this summer are nearly full grown. It has been a joy and a pleasure to watch the young chicks nurtured under the watchful eye of their parents. We got a chuckle when an American Widgeon with eight chicks discovered the stray sunflower seeds from our bird feeder and made regular trips from the lake creating a well-worn trail through the shoreline weeds, waddled in a straight line across the lawn to feast. Soon they will all fly south for the winter and it will be quiet on the lake. I will miss the ducks.
More tomorrow,
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist
