World According to Shia

Dolphin sightings in the St. Johns River!! I saw a whole herd (is that right)  pod while on my walk at lunch today!  It's so awesome to see them swimming along in the river. I can't wait until my honeymoon when Paul & I are going whale watching!!

So here comes the rain?  When walking back from lunch/library visit I noticed that it's starting to look like rain is finally on it's way. I get back to my desk and Zach (an attorney I work with)  emailed me and said that a bad storm is brewing and I  should go home before it hits.  So I left work around 3:30. So I get home from work and see this.... NOOOOO!!  Hold on little one...RAIN IS COMING!!! New bud on it's way =) The Mighty Ducks are back!! Saltines = Duckies come running! More Saltines = Duckies feel safe enough to get inches away. Some have a few cracker crumbs on their backs to enjoy later =)           One mama and two males...what happened to the  other mama duck and her two lil ducklings?

So every year it seems that the next generation of ducks starts out in my back yard.     but this year there are TWO mama ducks... She only has two ducklings.

Welcome Home Duckies! MALLARDS!    

So after the otter sightings I kept checking to see if they had swam back.  No otters but there's a new duck with four little ducklings.  I told Paul that I think it's one of the babies from the first 12 all grown up.  She was very friendly and not scared at all.  I think it's because she grew up in my backyard and knows where the food is at. At first she was just checking the backyard out.  I ran and got some crackers. When I came back she was still in the yard and her little ducklings were in the water.  At first I got worried about that "halk" showing up and snatching them, so I was hesitant to distract her with food.  But she started quacking and they were quacking back to her.  It was as if she was telling them that the coast was clear. They swam around quacking back. Still quacking. She went out to get them! She brought them to the grass! Little ducklings hiding behind mama! I...

So last night I get home from work and I let Daisy out back and about 15 minutes later I hear her barking up a storm.  I figured she was giving me her typical Cracker Alert (telling me that the neighbors are outside).  So when I open the door I see four otters in the lake!  They were super cute and sitting up in the water just looking at Daisy.  So I got Daisy inside and ran for the camera by then they were swimming away but here's the best shots I could get for now. When I went outside to check on Daisy they were all sitting up in the water but by the time I got the camera they were swimming away...this guy was still having a peek. These were the bigger two...Mommy and Daddy perhaps? Hey guys...wait for me....

There was this family of ducks in our pond out back. I mentioned to Paul that we didn't have to worry about the duck species dying off since this mama duck at 12 ducklings. He said, "they all won't make it...a halk will get some and some will die." I was then so worried about these little ducks. I came home every day and counted them. They became part of the neighborhood, we were all feeding them bread and crackers. They would just waddle right up to you to get some food. I'm happy to say that all the little ducklings grew up to be healthy ducks and some of them have stayed in the pond...I mean free food...they know where it's at. They still waddle right up to you to get food and there were some Canadian Geese out back getting in on the free food. They were a little scary...I seriously thought they were going to attack me! Quack quack quack.