The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Springtime at the Ditch

Every time I visit the Ditch, the trees are greener and more filled out and there are more lily pads on the water. A few of the flowering trees remain, but not, I think, much longer.


Mother Goose is still sitting and still being carefully guarded.


I saw her fluffing her nest and it appears there may be four instead of three eggs waiting to hatch. We'll see. (This is a rather bad photo taken from too far away!)

She looks rather regal, doesn't she, on her throne of mulch and fluff?

Meanwhile, another goose family is already out and about.


These four are sweet bundles of fluff! 


They are the sweetest yellow. Soon they'll take on the parents' colors of brown, gray, black and white. But we'll enjoy them this way for a bit.


They're still hanging close to Mom but they grow quickly and I expect to see them get their swimming lessons soon!


The red-winged blackbirds are profuse and loud! I love their songs.


But the robins are chipping in, too, with their merry melodies.


And what about Harry? He's been in residence!


And wait! There's more! Harry has a friend. I couldn't fit them into the same photo frame but this is his pal. Is it Harriet?

 Mother Goose should be hatching any day now! Stay tuned.


Meanwhile, enjoy the beauty around you!

Sharing with:  Talking About It Tuesday   /   Share Your Style  /   Saturday's Critter   /   Friday Face Off  

70 comments:

  1. Thank you for taking us to the ditch for the '24 spring tour! Adorable goslings (from a distance!). One of these days maybe you'll see Harry's wife sitting on some eggs? -Jenn

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  2. I love your bird photos! Those babies are so sweet!

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  3. Love Heron's. So graceful in flight. Great shots of the Goose.

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  4. Very nice photos. Have a nice day.

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  5. Not sure but it looks like there might be five eggs to me. Can hardly wait to find out.
    Lovely to see life at the ditch. And wouldn't it be something if there was a Harry and Harriet!
    Have a wonderful week! :)

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  6. Wonderful photos, Jeanie. Love the Heron couple. We have tons of geese, but don't get to see the babies often. Happy week!

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  7. wonderful day at the ditch! The babies do blend in well with the ground and grass. Thank you for taking us to the ditch! Lovely and most welcomed- we are still having winterish weather.

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  8. I love your ditch posts. Your photography is top shelf!

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  9. Your outstanding photos are so lovely, Jeanie. The Ditch is coming alive with beauty! Darling little goslings. Have a happy day!

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  10. I agree with Rita; I think it looks like five eggs to me. Woo Hoo can't wait to find out how many little goslings there ends up being. Love you pics as always !!!
    Dawn P. Albany, GA

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  11. Those goslings are adorable. It will be fun to watch them grow. Isn't it great that trees are blooming and everything is greening up. I think with all the rain in my area everything looks particularly beautiful. And to answer your question, POp's lobster roll was $27, which isn't terrible since lobsters at the market are going for $14.99 a pound. Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for lunch at a different restaurant where we always have our start of the season lobster roll. Not as good as pop's rolls, but I'm curious what they'll charge. Enjoy those goslings and hopefully a nice spell of beautiful weather. hugs-Erika

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  12. These geese look so cute together

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  13. Such sweet little goslings! I do hope Harry has found himself a Harriet.

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  14. Gorgeous photos, they are all lovely, and especially the fluffy babies. Mother Gessse wanted to attack me when I got too close, so I did a quick retreat! Thanks for sharing all of this loveliness and have a great week! Hugs!

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  15. ...you have a delightful ditch and I thank you for taking me along to see the sights.

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  16. I like the flowering tree in the first picture, and the lovely scenery in the last picture. I wish I could hear the robins and the red winged birds sing!

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  17. While I have been enjoying watching the goslings and geese families and even our heron I still have not seen a red wing black bird anywhere.

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  18. Geese are so regal. They are also dangerous. Do not mess with them. Your flowers and tree are so lovely.

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  19. Such wonderful pictures! This time of year the trees change so quickly. Just in the past few days they have gone from barely green almost filled out.
    Cathy

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  20. How fun to watch for the goose eggs hatching! I noticed lots of robins this last weekend when I was in Chicago. I guess all our robins have fled to your north.

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  21. What a gift to see all this beauty. Especially the goslings. I do miss red wing blackbirds.

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  22. Jeanie, those little gooslings are so cute. I love how soft they look. That might be a Harriet as she isn't as fancy looking as Harry. How are the eyes doing? xxoJudy

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  23. Wonderful Spring-tree-pic and awwww, those mini-ducks are so fluffy and cute!
    And to hear birds again is so wonderful - the good half of the year!

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  24. Wonderful photos today! I especially love the tree in the first photo. Besides wildlife, I love all nature related photos and flowering trees are a beautiful thing. By the way, I think I'm now able to comment on your blog posts without the painful round about way I had to do it before. I hope it remains that way but sadly I'm not able to easily comment on everyone's blog. I hope that will be resolved one day.

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  25. Hello Jeanie,
    Thanks for sharing the beauty around you! I love the first redbud and sky shot. The geese and their babies are so cute. Love the fluffy goslings.
    It is nice that Harry the heron has a mate, maybe they have chicks too.
    I love all your birds and photos. Take care, have a wonderful day!

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  26. Those goslings are pretty darn cute, huh? They are everywhere here too.

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  27. Nice to see that life is transpiring at your place too.

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  28. Your patience paid off:) Adorbs Jeanie.

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  29. Can't wait to see Mother Goose with her little ones. How fun to be able to watch the progress. Mr. Goose is definitely a caring poppa too.
    How exciting for Harry to have a friend along with him this year.
    Enjoy your walks at the ditch!

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  30. Hope you’re doing okay from the severe weather.

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  31. Those birds are so cute, especially the babies. Adorable!

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  32. I'm eagerly awaiting news of Mother Goose's brood! I guess it makes sense there would be a Harriet, if there's a Harry.

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  33. Aww, the pictures are beautiful. I think there are 4 eggs there.

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  34. Amazing photos! I love catching up on all the nature around you. Those birds are gorgeous. And I love how the little chicks seem to rest with one leg sticking out the back! :)

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  35. Those chicks are cute - so fluffy. I'm sure the geese are protective of their young. It's great to see Harry with a friend.

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  36. We don't see red winged black birds here although I have heard they are around. Love the pictures of the goslings. It's fun to watch them mature. I'm glad that Harry has a friend. It doesn't have the black stripe on its head so it may be a hurry!
    That is the problem with flowering trees they don't last very long. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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  37. We have goslings here as well, Jeanie, and last weekend I saw 6 in two different locations. You are right in saying how sweet they look now, but they will be growing up very fast. The two groups we spotted were out for a swim with their parents.

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  38. Oh, Mother Goose does look regal, and I'm glad she has a safe place for nesting. It seems to be intact and not bothered by intruders. The babies sure are cute. Those red-winged blackbirds are so pretty, and I see them from time to time here. And the dear Robins are on my lawn daily. Harry look handsome as ever. How I enjoy your posts when you visit the Ditch, Jeanie. Thank you!

    ~Sheri

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  39. Totally stunning photos...Harry and Harriet are stunning! You are so far ahead of us, we just finally had the early daffys and tulips finish.
    And, here you have waterlily buds so big already.
    But the geese here are on the same calendar and bunch just hatched down by the lake! Fun post and happy spring, Sandi

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  40. Babies of most species are adorable. It helps their survival, I think. (No, NOT all species - like spiders!) Love the little baby geese, the mom sitting on the nest, and of course, Harry and friend. Enjoy the beautiful weather.

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  41. You got some great photos here. So beautiful.

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  42. Hello Jeanie :=)
    The ditch has new life and it's attracting more wildlife. I'm so pleased Harry has Harriet a lady friend, perhaps there will be more chicks when they become well acquainted.:) I have never seen Canada Geese goslings before,how cute they are.
    Lovely post Jeanie!
    Best wishes
    Sonjia.

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  43. Beautiful scenery'
    It does look like 5 eggs to hatch. Very exciting

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  44. It's definitely gosling time, I see them here as well. Your trips to the ditch always are beautiful, and I love that Harry has some company now.

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  45. we're sitting on the porch, watching the birds flit from tree to feeder to nest. A turkey is gobbling away as he walks through the woods. The lilies of the valley are poking through the woodchips and the pansies are hardy.

    All is right with the world!

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  46. The goslings are so cute. Folks living on the lakeshore sure don't like them though. :(

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  47. Beautiful photos and tree looks so pretty!! The goslings are so fluffy!!

    -Soma

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  48. What a delightful springtime update from the Ditch, Jeanie!
    The goslings are adorable, and I loved seeing Mother Goose on her nest.
    Harry and his friend add charm to the scene.
    Can't wait to hear about the new arrivals! 🌿🦒

    Happy Friday!

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  49. What a delightful springtime update from the Ditch, Jeanie!
    The goslings are adorable, and I loved seeing Mother Goose on her nest.
    Harry and his friend add charm to the scene.
    Can't wait to hear about the new arrivals! 🌿🦒

    Happy Friday!

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  50. Those goslings are adorable! And how nice that you have another bunch ready to hatch in the near future. I'm seeing more and more mallard babies now; they certainly add fun to the work day! Speaking of which, I'm finally caught up enough at work that I can reclaim my weekends. The weather looks good tomorrow, so I'll be out seeing what I can see again. It's been too long!

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  51. How delightful! I love seeing spring coming alive at the ditch! We went on our first post-dinner walk to the creek last night. They released a dam at a local lake since their water levels are finally up after several years of drought (which is shocking since we got so little snow this winter, but we did get a decent amount of rain so I guess that really helped). So the creek is VERY HIGH but it's a good thing because it's not too high and the fish and wildlife must be thrilled. It's gotten basically bone dry the last 2 summers which is a sad sight to see. The boys would love to see some baby goslings or baby ducks. I think they must nest elsewhere but we should start to see the babies at the creek in the next couple of weeks!

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  52. The geese are so pretty! Love the captures!
    Jenna

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  53. Great photos, Jeanie! Love seeing what is happening at the ditch! It was rare many years ago for us to see geese. They moved south and have overtaken our downtown river and lakes. They cross our main six lane thoroughfare and stop traffic while they move their little families to the other side! Happy Weekend!

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  54. Wonderful that Harry has found a friend. Wonderful photos.

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  55. What a lovely post this is.
    I did enjoy seeing all of your photographs.
    The goslings are so sweet, and wonderful that Harry has found a friend.

    Enjoy the coming weekend.

    All the best Jan

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  56. The goslings are adorable. I’m so happy you saw them and captured them with your camera. We’ve seen them behind us with the pond being so close to us. Years ago I was able to see a mother duck take her ducklings down to the lake (at cottage) for their first time. Isn’t it great to see the earth waking up again with the greens and colors of all the blossoms!

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  57. Jeanie,
    We have a stray goose that likes to fly away from the flock that lives down the road by the Target store...The stray one likes to hang out at the bottom of our hill in our development... We have to watch as it likes to walk our main road!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! I hope you have a great weekend!!
    Hugs,
    Deb
    Debbie-Dabble Blog

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  58. I so love your pics of the ditch alive with activity. Glad Harry brought back a friend now. Janice

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  59. Hello Jeanie,
    I would be making repeat visits to the Ditch, it looks like a great spot to see all kinds of birds/wildlife. The goslings are so cute, great captures of the geese family. I always enjoy seeing the heron photos, they are one of my many favorite birds. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy Mother's Day weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  60. Is there anything so cute as little goslings?

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  61. Just beautiful. Thank you for sharing with FFO and have a nice weekend.

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  62. Enjoy your weekend and have a special Sunday.

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  63. Sounds like spring is in full swing at the Ditch! Beautiful photos!

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  64. Sounds like spring is in full swing at the Ditch! Beautiful photos!

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  65. The wee little ones are too cute.

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  66. Those baby geese are the cutest things I've ever seen. They make you want to feel those downy feathers!

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  67. You get to see Harry often… I haven’t seen a Great Blue Heron for years! And I don’t get to see little goslings like those you’ve posted, so cute! As for ‘my’ baby owl, they come back to the same spot every year to nest so it’s almost a sure thing that we see the Owl family every spring. Mind you, I always wonder, it might not even be the same family year after year.

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