The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Saturday, June 13, 2026

Down at the Ditch

I wanted to get in another "Ditch" post before taking off to the lake at the end of the month. My most recent walk brought about a lot of blooms -- and a lot of ducks.

 

This mama duck has two babies, quietly nestled in the area by the water at the edge of the woods. 

 

And this is one of her babies!  Clearly, they are getting big!

 

A bit farther down the path but in a similar location was another family, again with two little ones.

 

They are surprisingly calm when a curious photographer approaches. No one moved, they didn't even blink! But she knew I was there. I spoke quietly to the ducks and her little white back-feathers would quiver ever so slightly each time I said something. Not afraid but vigilant.

Meanwhile, Papa Duck stood guard nearby.

 

 And, down by the "bridge to nowhere," a gang had settled, enjoying the warm, lovely day.

 

 This little guy was hopping about, grabbing bits of fluff!

 

 The wildflowers are out in force. There was plenty of fleabane, along with this pretty crown vetch.

 

This one is just beginning to bloom. Only two flowers were open but you could tell there were more to come.

 

And of course, there were some flowering bushes . .

 . 

. . . and plenty of waterlilies.  

 Their blooms are so lovely -- I wish they were closer to shore!

 

This just in: There was a Harry sighting. Unfortunately, no photo as he just appeared flying around the corner, too quickly to even open the camera. Ah well, a photograph of the heart. But at least I know, he's back! 

Sharing with:   Saturday's Critters  /   Share Your Style      

56 comments:

  1. Hello Jeanie,
    The ditch photos look pretty, I love the ducklings. Great captures of the duck families. They are so cute. The sparrow does have a mouthful of fluff. The flowers and waterlilies are looking beautiful.
    Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  2. I'm sure each time you visit at this time of the year, you see more and more flowers blooming. It makes for a nice walk. Karen (Back Road Journal)

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  3. Wishing you a wonderful onderful time at the lake. Stunning flowers. So bright. All fun photos. Happy Weekend.

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  4. Thoroughly enjoyed these photos of the ducks and wildflowers Jeanie. A very pretty area to visit.

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  5. What a lovely area to relax, walk around and enjoy! The ducks are enjoying themselves, and the little sparrow is collecting items for its nest. Beautiful flowers, too.

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  6. Thanks for taking us along on your walk ~ Great pix!!
    bobbie

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  7. Jeanie, I always enjoy your ditch walks and the discoveries that you make. The ducks are beautiful. Mr. Mallard, with his fluorescent green head, knows he is handsome. Beautiful flowers and waterlily! Yay, Harry made an appearance! Have a wonderful weekend.

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  8. Such a lovely post.
    Great views from around 'The Ditch' and so pleased to read there was a Harry sighting.
    Happy weekend wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  9. Your ditch is a pretty great place. Our pond is usually vacant, but there were many geese and goslings at the big park just a little while ago.

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  10. Beauty in the ditch!! great capture of duck collecting fluff. Soothing photos, love them all!

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  11. Thanks for taking us in your walk. Great bird sightings.

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  12. The photos you shared are beautiful, Jeanie! I love ducklings and enjoyed all that you shared. And gorgeous water lilies. I wish some grew near me. Have a wonderful week!

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  13. I enjoy your ditch pictures! It must be exciting to see these little families up close.

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  14. Your ditch tours are always fun and remind me of the lake of my youth. The lake my CCC is on doesn't have lily pads but we have swans and they have babies now.

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  15. Hello friend!!!! Your photos are absolutely beautiful. I love ducks!!! I raised two from little tiny things. I had four but only 3 made it and eventually two became full grown. We used to see them in the lake all the time where we lived and raised them. We lived on a lake at the time. It was literally outside our backdoor. Occasionally, we would drive over to see them. But I think they have since moved on because we haven't seen them in years.

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  16. Thanks for taking us along. Nice photos of the duck family.

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  17. Just wonderful pictures of the ditch. Janice

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  18. ...wow, the ditch sure is lush and green.

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  19. Baby ducks are just adorable. Pretty flowers too. Glad to know Harry has returned!

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  20. Isn't it amazing that something as simple as a ditch can hold such beauty and so many things?!?!?

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  21. The green energy is lifting my mood in winter here

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  22. I love having special places,and what a joy to photograph.Love these hobbies of ours and that cute pic of you on your sidebar in the pretty floral wreath.

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  23. I so enjoyed this post: all of it! I love mallards, and water lilies, so those two pleased me especially. I'm glad you're out and about, as a recent experience reminded me of some of your own frustrations with your wet basement. A pipe broke in the bathroom of my next-door neighbor, and flooded her apartment. That's when I learned a sad lesson; if a neighbor floods, I flood! There was an inch of water throughout my place, and it's taken the better part of a week to get things back in order. The good news is that my tendency to put everything in plastic bins as hurricane protection served me well. My loss was limited to a birch bark wastebasket and some rugs I decided to toss. No insurance claim required! Here's to a storm and accident-free time at the lake for you -- you don't need any more such frustrations!

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  24. The Ditch is looking wonderful,Jeanie, and there is lots going on there. Keep on visiting. It is balm for a troubled world. Quite a contrast to blood sport at the White House.

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  25. The ditch is full of beauty and wonderful critters. The ducks are darling. We had some nesting by our pool.

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  26. The ditch looks like duck heaven. And those babies are adorable. You got some amazing photos Jeanie. I love water lily flowers too, but you are right, they are never close enough to shore. It looks like summer is in full swing for you, and at my house too, but I am excited for some less humid weather coming up this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. hugs-Erika

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  27. What a great spot! FLora and fauna! I enjoyed it.

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  28. The wild flowers are amazing!
    Cathy

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  29. Your photos are just lovely! And the ducks look so friendly. Not like the ducks I run into!

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  30. Lovely! I hope you have a safe trip to the lake and will soon be settled in and enjoying the summer :-)

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  31. Thank you Jeanie for taking us on your walk to the Ditch...I love it down there and I so enjoyed looking at the ducks and ducklings...they are adorable. Water lilies are always so beautiful as they reside on top of the water bringing joy to any observer. Yay for Harry...so relieved he is back..a photo next visit for sure. I know you will enjoy the lake time...it is so beautiful and relaxing for both you and Rick. I always think of the movie "On Golden Pond" when I think of you going to the lake. So glad Rick went to "open it all up". so to speak, now all you both have to do is enjoy. Hugs and much love and blessings.πŸ₯°πŸŒΈπŸ¦‹πŸπŸ‘’πŸ¦†

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  32. Glad to hear you saw Harry! You definitely have a lot of Mallards. They are beautiful. And those babies are always so darling to see. I enjoyed seeing the wildflowers. They are good for the soul. Your Happy Lake Time will be coming soon. Safe travels to you!

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  33. Nice walk down by the ditch, plenty of blooms along the path, several duck families with growing ducklings near the water's edge. The mother with two little ones tucked close sounds especially peaceful, while another group further along shows how quickly they are getting bigger. A watchful male nearby keeping guard gives the whole scene a steady balance. Wildflowers are putting on a good display, fleabane, crown vetch, plus early blossoms still opening up. The waterlilies look especially striking, even if they sit a bit out of reach from shore. A brief glimpse of Harry flying past must have been a pleasant surprise, a sign he is still around. Curious if the duck families tend to return to the same spots through the season.

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  34. Beautiful blooms and those ducklings are so cute. We typically get lots of water lilies on the lake but I haven't seen any this year yet.

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  35. That lily bloom is gorgeous!! And how fun to see all the new life out and about. We saw a mama duck and a bunch of baby ducks at my parents this past weekend. The boys were quite excited about that!

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  36. So happy you had a sighting of Harry before you left for the lake. Your ditch reminds me so much of the "ditch" near my apartment. I did spot a relative of Harry there a few days ago.

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  37. Those ducklings are cute, but the water lilies took my breath away. Reminds me of Monet.

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  38. Wow, the pond is so nice with the ducks and I love the pretty flowers. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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  39. Thanks for bringing us down to the ditch one more time. I love seeing the ducklings.

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  40. We have been seeing mallards, Canada geese and most recently a pair of swans on the Nashua River, The resident great blue heron, also named Harry by us, still comes to visit on a nearly daily basis. The ducklings are sweet and we had a couple of families but haven't seen them in recent days.

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  41. Those ducks are so sweet. Especially those babies.

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  42. Such darling ducklings! So glad you got to see the babies before heading up north. We're still waiting on our killdeer babies, and since they can start eating on their own as soon as they're born, I keep checking constantly, because I would hate to miss them! That's good news about the Harry sighting, too.... Best of all news: sounds like you're almost ready to head up north! Lake time, art camp, farmer's markets.... good times ahead!

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  43. It's kind of magical a ditch can be so pretty! I especially like the little patch of blue on the mommy duck.

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  44. Now this is a very cute and happy post!!!

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  45. I'm behind in commenting. Sorry. Jeanie these photos are absolutely stunning. each one so bright and crystal clear. Have a very nice day today.

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  46. The Ditch has entered the thriving season. Ducks look very cute and learning the how life is in the Ditch. Great photos Jeanie. Have a wonderful week.

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  47. If there was such
    a ditch on my way
    I think that I'd visit
    it every day.
    Amalia
    xo

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  48. Great photos. I especially like the little bird (sparrow?) with fluff in its beak. I'm glad the ducks are prospering and tolerant of your presence, and I'm glad Harry is still around!

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  49. Such a lovely walk, Jeanie.
    The duck families are so sweet, and the flowers make everything feel alive.
    Glad Harry showed up too!
    Beautiful photos as always.

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  50. Great nature photos! The ducks look delighted and the water lilies are really something! Such pretty walks there.

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  51. Beautiful photos! I love waterlilies so much.

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  52. Beautiful! And so wonderful to see life blooming again!

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