Friday, August 30, 2013

Dragonfly - Mealtime in the sky


What appears to be stars in the sky, are actually tiny flies and are prey to this dragonfly.  With the sun shining on all of them at that moment, it made for quite the spectacle....

Did you know a dragonfly will eat roughly 15% of its own body weight in prey each day, and larger species can easily consume much more than that. They are also the fastest flying insect in the world!!

Did you also know that dragonflies symbolize strength, courage and happiness? They also bring good luck for many years if one lands on you!!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

My name is "Squirt"

Meet "Squirt".... 3 days old here !!
Here's how it all started:

We have here on our little farm our own breeding pekin ducks and we cannot forget "Lucky" our 2 year old call duck.  We hatched successfully 13 babies !!!!  Twelve were born starting at 5 a.m. on July 26th and Squirt was born on July 27th at 5:30 a.m., so it was a busy couple of days and a busy month!!
Here they all are in the brooder 3 days old!! Squirt is in the far bottom right hand corner and the tiniest of the brood!!

We decided to incubate some pekin duck eggs for the first time and so glad that we did.  We learned a lot about the whole process and it was such a rewarding experience.  The eggs were candled the first week of incubation and you could see the first signs of life....When we saw the hearts beating, the excitement began.  Everyday, I turned the eggs a few times and kept the temperature and humidity at the proper levels and soon, the babies were being introduced one by one !!  Pipping started at day 26 and for the next 2 days the little ducklings worked very very hard to break through their shells... At exactly 28 days, they were born....

Here is a short video: (click on bottom right hand corner of video for full screen)



Squirt looks quite content snuggled up to Skye.... (2 days old)
Squirt finds a great place to hide.... (3 days old)
Looks like a comfy spot to rest my head.... !!
Squirt loves to sleep....





Playtime.............


Squirt's first ''piggyback'' ride
Squirt in the red bandana....
All 13 ducklings sporting their new bandanas at 5 days old....
**UPDATE** This photo was published in Canadian Geographic
PETS 2015 Special Collectors Edition
You can see it here 
And then there was one.............

Squirt's first night alone....
We decided to keep Squirt and add her to our existing duck family and we have found two loving homes for the other 12....(six to each farm)  A couple of little stuffed teddies in Squirt's house took away some of the lonesomeness.... We go outside for lots of exercise and playtime and the other ducks and chickens are curious about the ''new family member'', but we have to wait a little bit longer until she is feathered and big enough to tag along with our other waddling angels in the pond.  It will be fun to watch her playing, exploring, chasing after bugs and being mischievous like the others.  It is also going to be interesting to see if Squirt has Lucky's looks or mama pekin's when she is fully grown.... We will keep you posted!!

UPDATE:

Squirt just wrote a children's picture book!!!! ;-))))
Well, ok....I helped out just a little bit (wink, wink)

Squirt narrates her story of a warm summer day. She explores her enchanted world while enjoying her friends and meeting new ones. She always has time for fun, especially with Skye, who is her best friend. Have you ever seen a baby duck riding piggyback on a Border Collie, hiding in a sneaker, or sleeping with her teddy bear? Now you can! This picture book is a great addition to any child's collection, and will provide your family with many cherished memories for years to come. Come join us in the magical world of Squirt, Skye, and their delightful friends.

**Features full color double page illustrations**

Now Available on AMAZON - Paperback and eBook!!

For your convenience, you can order here on AMAZON.CA