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December 18, 2001 Two more visitors for "Milestones", Cyprus (12/17) and today, India. December 15, 2001 Lots of new visitors from foreign countries to add to my "Milestones" page, Bulgaria (11/13), Slovenia (11/15), the Dominican Republic (11/17), Cote d'Ivoire (12/3), Pakistan and Slovakia (12/15). To date, sixty countries have visited duck tales. December 14, 2001 To all of my wonderful readers who have e-mailed me asking why the "tales" have stopped, they will begin again very soon and I do have lots to tell. Suffice it to say, I am the sole caregiver for my mom (who is 89) and my aunt (who is 94) and there have been some health issues of late ... so, I just haven't had too much free time.
October 5, 2001 Added a new visitor from Yugoslavia to Milestones.
September 23, 2001 Some more of my feelings on September 11, 2001. September 17, 2001 I have added a "Reflections"
page to Duck Tales. September 11, 2001 A very tragic day for my beloved America. A day, for me,
filled with such immense sadness for all the innocent victims and their families
... and such immeasurable, sheer outrage against all of the perpetrators of this truly evil,
diabolical deed! GOD BLESS AMERICA, MY HOME, SWEET HOME ...
September 10, 2001 Estonia is added to my "Milestones" page. September 6, 2001 Another country to add to my "Milestones" page - this visitor from Portugal.
August 30, 2001 A visitor from Saudi Arabia for my "Milestones" page. August 25, 2001 Another visitor to add to my "Milestones" page - this one from Paraguay. August 23, 2001 Faith appeared on my front lawn, bright and early this morning with ten babies in tow! August 20, 2001 Meet Buffy and Romeo and Juliette! August 16, 2001 Sheer heaven ... just sitting on my terrace delighting in all my baby cardinal visitors. They are more afraid of their "papa" who is very strongly encouraging them to be on their own, than they are of me. And, to complete such a beautiful day, I spotted an immature red-wing blackbird trying to negotiate my small bird feeder! August 15, 2001 Another country added to my Milestones page. Duck Tales had three visitors from the United Arab Emirates. August 14, 2001 Sara Beth and Diablo returned this evening, beautiful, hungry and without any explanation at all as to where they've been for the last two months. August 8, 2001 "The Nun" is back! August 5, 2001 Added a visitor from Uruguay to my Milestones page. August 3, 2001 How disheartening! After sitting on her nest in my tiers for six weeks, last night, Charity lost all her eggs to a predator. August 2, 2001 Added a visitor from Argentina to my Milestones page. August 1, 2001 My ducks and wild-friends now live in National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat Number 29339. They have promised to behave accordingly and act with the proper decorum necessary for such a prestigious environment!!!
July 29, 2001 I added a visitor from the Czech Republic to my Milestones page. July 28, 2001 My birdbath had a very special visitor - an American Bittern. July 17, 2001 The internet never ceases to amaze me and I just love the fact that there are so many "duck lovers" all over the world. On my Milestones page, I keep a list of all the countries my visitors come from and, today, I am adding two more countries - Greece and Latvia. July 13, 2001 Nature takes away and then she gives ... so it seems. This weekend, I will be "ducksitting" Quackers, a two and a half month old pekin. It should be very interesting since she does not realize that she is a duck!!! July 12, 2001 This morning, sadly, I lost Matthew, my "homeless duck". He was hit by a speeding car right in front of my house as he was crossing the street to visit some of my neighbors. He was quite a character and I will complete his story very soon. This has been a devastating summer for both me and my ducks. I have begun a major letter writing campaign to try to get either a "wildlife crossing" sign or a speed bump - anything that might help to slow down the summer visitors to our town. July 2, 2001 In late May, I received an e-mail from Stacy Smith asking me to contribute a chapter based upon my opossum story, to a book she is editing entitled "In the Eyes of the Wild: An Anthology of Wildlife Poetry and Short Stories". She is not only self-publishing the book but she is also donating all of the royalties to her favorite wildlife charity, Wildlife Forever. In September 2000, Stacy self-published another book called "Reflections In Nature". You can take a sneak peek at my story, "One Brief Moment In Time ...". I hope that you enjoy it!
June 30, 2001 So far, it seems like this will be a most unusual summer. Sara
Beth and Diablo have left the creek for parts unknown. June 22, 2001 Sadly, my little baby bird died during the night. He was eating well enough, but, he wasn't growing. He was still so tiny. Once again, it proves to me that nature knows best. Mother birds don't abandon their babies without a good reason. It truly amazes me how they know. June 16, 2001 I finally saw my first mallard babies of the season. Twelve
little ducklings bouncing up and down in the creek, obediently following their
mama. June 15, 2001 My neighbor, Susan, brought me a tiny little sparrow, I think, which she found on her front lawn. It's been a long time since I took care of baby birds, but, it all came back. Let's hope that he or she makes it and can be set free. June 14, 2001 Strange happenings on Pennataquit Creek. Sara Beth and Diablo have returned without their babies and the young pair of swan visitors are nowhere to be seen.
My 30, 2001 Sara Beth and Diablo have not returned with their little family. But, a new pair of young swans have come to the creek. They walk right up the duck ramp and eat out of my corn can so I know that they are babies from a previous season. May 28, 2001 A tragic end to a stormy Memorial Day Weekend. My next door
neighbor accidentally ran over "Big Whitey", one of my older muscovy
males who was Robert J's buddy. She
was very upset and so was her daughter, who is one of my favorite young friends. May 22, 2001 Sara Beth and Diablo have not returned with the babies. May 21, 2001 Come see Flora's new little family! May 20, 2001 Babies, babies ... everywhere ... May 19, 2001 A very proud Sara Beth and Diablo brought me five adorable cygnets, two still hitching a ride on Sara Beth's back! May 18, 2001 I rushed Robert J. to our vet. He is now on "Life #10"! May 13, 2001 Mothers' Day - except for Christmas - my favorite holiday and always a landmark day for the inhabitants of Penataquit Creek. Usually, on this special day, the creek is filled with ducklings, goslings and cygnets, but, this year, so far, only Mother and Father Goose have had babies. I wonder if it has anything to do with the awful winter we had and the early spring coastal flooding? May 11, 2001 Read all about my "Jumping Jack"! May 2, 2001 The first babies of the year are here! Enjoy ... May 1, 2001 Duck Tales is "In the Spotlight" on About.com's Personal Web Pages
April 29, 2001 Check out my Milestones' page. I've updated it and I think you'll enjoy a peek at what's going on behind the scenes! April 23, 2001 I have begun Peanut's story. It still has a ways to go before it's finished, but, I wanted to share some of her wonderful life with you. April 13, 2001 Robert is truly the duck with "nine lives"! I just added several new paragraphs attesting to this fact to his web page. April 3, 2001 Mother Goose began sitting in earnest on her nest in the corner of the dock across the creek. Father Goose spends most of his day either swimming by her or watching her from our dock. April 1, 2001
March 31, 2001 Spring will soon be here and, once again, adorable little yellow ducklings will be on sale everywhere. Please, please tell anyone you know who is contemplating purchasing one of these cuties that there is more, much more, to raising a little duckling than just playing with it. Like any living thing, ducklings require the proper food, a warm, clean "house" and, sometimes, veterinary care. But, most importantly, that fuzzy yellow duckling will very soon grow into a big duck with very real needs. Sometimes, well-meaning but uninformed duck "parents", who can no longer adequately take care of their duckling, release the baby or teenage duck into the local pond, thinking that they have done a kindness by setting it free, when in reality, they have sentenced it to death because the little duckling does not know how to cope in the wild. It is so very sad... March 13, 2001 Duck tales is profiled in About.com's Personal Web Pages. Check it out at their Profiles of Interest and Hobby Sites page. Then click on What do you think of Maria's Duck Tales? to cast your vote! March 8, 2001 Well, Misty sure doesn't like coastal flooding. She put one little white paw into the water and hightailed it back to me in a quick heartbeat! Collies are so inherently smart. I had been so worried about raising a puppy by the water, but, I guess, all my early training paid off. When the waters receded, I walked down to the dock. Sadly, a lot of nests were lost. There were eggs everywhere much to the delight of the crows and the seagulls. There's going to be a lot of rebuilding around here! March 7, 2001 Luckily, here on the Island, we really didn't get too much snow. What we did get was a typical Nor'easter with gusty winds and coastal flooding. The creek came up over the dock, past the berm and about twenty feet into my backyard. When I looked out my back windows last night, I thought I was in the middle of a beautiful dream. There, with the berm filled with my ornamental grasses for a backdrop, were Sara Beth and Diablo happily gliding along in my backyard. With the moon reflecting off the water and glistening on our resident swans' feathers, it was magical. March 3, 2001 The National Weather Service is predicting a major snowfall for Long Island. My little friends don't need a weather forecaster. I can tell by the difference in their behavior that they know a big Nor'easter is coming. The swans have returned after a two week absence, the squirrels are eating their peanuts instead of burying them and the ducks and wild birds are all chowing down. Everyone seems to know that they'll be in for a few rough days!
February 27, 2001 My young male seems to have made a remarkable recovery - except for the fact that he now takes the long way around and leaves the shortcut to his sister! February 26, 2001 A very traumatic day! One of my young males was apparently chasing his sister as she flew up on my driveway gate. He must have either misjudged the height of the gate or slipped as he tried to perch on it. Fortunately, I was home at the time and paid attention to Misty's frantic barking. When I looked out my French doors, I saw a very chilling sight - one muscovy foot and a head wedged through the wooden slats. Luckily, I think, it had just happened and I was able to set him free - no easy task, since he was beating his wings furiously against the gate and me. I will never forget the sight of him just hanging there. All's well that ends well and when I put him down, he just walked away - a little traumatized, but none the worse for his experience. February 10, 2001 Aside from the babies who were born here last year, I have three new adoptees - Ducky, a young male muscovy, and Cuddles and Fuzzball, two young pekins. They are all happy and thriving. February 9, 2001 I know that it's been a while ... but ... now that I'm over the
effects of my hand and knee surgeries, I'll be adding more stories. My muscovy
girls are
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Copyright (c) 2000, (c) 2001, (c) 2002, (c) 2003, (c) 2004 by Maria's Duck
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Early this morning, as I was feeding Romeo and Juliette, the two muscovies who
have made a nest near my front walk, I discovered a most unusual sight. There,
nestled in the grasses near the sidewalk, was the most colorful and artistic
nest I have ever seen. I couldn't begin to imagine which one of my
"ducks" was so creative!!! Was this an April Fool's surprise??? ... or
... Was the April Fooler my dear friend and neighbor, "The Big Michael
Duck"??? Just wait until
I teach my ducks all about the joys of his bountiful and unfenced vegetable
garden!!!
flying all over searching for nesting sites. I found two of them
perched high atop the electric wires, looking over all the possibilities! And
all the males have been fighting with each other in a totally masculine attempt
to impress the ladies. The swan babies are long gone as Sara Beth and Diablo
prepare to nest once again along the shores of the creek. Mother and Father
Goose are also back on my dock protecting Mother Goose's nesting site across the
creek. And, so, after the cold and snows of January, my little friends are no
longer thinking about keeping warm, but, rather, about the new life which will
come to the creek in the spring!
