Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey is one of our most favorite books of all time. The cover of our copy is tattered and taped many times over.

Its so fitting that it is duckling season in our neighborhood.  Our area is pelted with little ponds and inlets.  You can't drive one mile in any direction without finding water.  Which makes this area a perfect place to hatch ducklings.

Remember last year?  We're not planning on taking any in this year as last year our luck wasn't so good.  We've had a few in the back yard that were only a few days old, but luckily their mama was still around and we were able to shoo them all in the direction of the water.

This weekend S had two of the boys on an errand with him and Ian and I were cooking in the kitchen.  It was cool outside so we had the windows open.  All of a sudden we heard a racket outside and Ian went to check to see what the noise was.

And it was this brood of 11 ducklings.

According to Wike Answers...

A group of ducks is called a badelynge, bunch, brace, flock, paddling, raft or team. 

If it's a group of ducklings (i.e., they've recently hatched and are being looked after by their mother), it is called a brood.

Their mother was not with them, but this group was around 5 or 6 weeks old, so we weren't concerned.  They were doing a great job of foraging for worms and dropped bird seed.

Ian and I watched for at least 30 minutes or so.  

We had such a great conversation about the ducklings themselves.  About mothers and babies.  About independence.  About respecting the natural world.

Moments like this seem like such a gift in an otherwise busy season of life.

Eventually we heard a loud quacking overhead.  Both the mother and father (we're guessing) flew over, made a circle and landed.  She called them off of the front porch and down the street.

Thank you little ducks...for the excuse to stop for just a few minutes and enjoy how pretty you are.

More info. on ducklings on The Magnifying Glass.