Hanging Out with the Birds

After we had done our dash with taking photos of the roses, we found ourselves a nice spot to sit down and we had a great time sitting and chatting to all the ducks, pigeons and sparrows that decided to hang out with us.

They were such a laugh, having their little squabbles and there was the occasional amorous male pigeon who didn't have any luck.  There were no females that were having a bar of it!!!

This little one came over to check me out and was quite happy to hang around with me for a while.
A little sweetie.

Salem was a little tired so had a bit of a lie-down and chatted to the ducks that were having a laze under the rose bushes.

I am sure that all the friendly in the gardens were the little ducklings that we saw causing mischief for their parents the last time we were here.
They have all grown up now.

This little duck is being a bit bashful at first.

Then it was time for a big stretch.
They can make themselves quite long too.

She's all relaxed now after that.
She stayed with us the whole time until we left.

This is another of our little friends.
This gorgeous fat pigeon also stayed with us even though there were whole flocks of pigeons that flew en mass barely missing us as we were on their flight path.
It was all very exciting and we really had to duck down so that we weren't hit by a feathered missile.

Only a few of the ducks had had enough of lazing in the sun and took to the pond in the middle of the rose gardens and had a leisurely paddle in the water.

It was a bit of a low tide in the fountain so they really needed to top up the water.
Luckily the ramp was still there for the ducks to wander out of the water.
They didn't have to strain themselves by flying out, it really was a lazy sunny day.

I think that the pigeons were a bit more energetic than the ducks today.
The pigeons were checking out the rose beds for insects to eat.
The ducks just stayed in one place, all comfortable in the rose beds and just ate the leaves of the rose bushes that were in reach.

These pigeons are definitely healthier looking than the ones in the inner city.
Lots of fresh plants and insects.
Not scraps and junk food like their inner city cousins.

I would definitely prefer to live here than at the railway station or on the sides of buildings etc.
And people are always bring bread to feed the duck down at the duck pond.
The ducks are so over fed that there is always more than enough food spare for the pigeons and sparrows.

You must excuse my rattling on......
It was so lovely sitting in the sun with such friendly company, the best way to spend a sunny spring day.
It really makes you relax and lets your mind wander..........

Darling Ducklings Growing Up

A confident little duckling.

I'm trying to catch up on putting all my photos on posts as we have been very busy over the last few weeks but I am getting there.

The ducklings are charging around the pond.
A big difference compared to a couple of weeks before when
they wouldn't stray far from Mum.

We went back to the Peace Flame Garden at the Wellington Botanical gardens a few weeks ago and saw a big change in the ducklings.  They were bigger, more confident and very cheeky.

Ducking (excuse the pun) under the water for bits of food.

They were causing their parents a lot of grief.
The concerned parents had a hard time keeping an eye on their very energetic and curious off-spring.

Time for a quick grooming session before getting back to
the babysitting duties.

The little fluffy speed boats were a real joy to watch.
We must go back very soon to see how much they have grown now.

Paddling around at full speed.
It looks like so much fun.

The ducklings were keeping everyone amused.
It was a beautiful day so lots of people were at the Botanic Gardens that day.

Mum checking on her babies.
They were back in the water soon after this.

The ducklings would get out of the pond to have a bit of a groom in the sun and then go back into the water.
Mum just stayed up on the bank but always had her eye on them.

Here's Dad keeping them in his view.

The ducklings had no fear of all the people watching so put on a good show and came right up to the deck.

Standing guard over the duck families.

So one of the male ducks stood guard making sure that no one got too close.
It was all very sweet!!!!!

Delightful Ducks

As you may have noticed, we love ducks!!!!!

Last week we went back to the Wellington Botanic Gardens and one of the many lovely sights was the ducks in the Joy Fountain.

We don't usually see the ducks in the fountain as there are usually to many kids playing in the fountain so this was very cool to see.

People had been feeding them bread but these ducks in the Botanic Garden are very well fed so the bread was just floating around in the water.

Just down the path is the duck pond.
Tourists and locals alike love to come here.
There was bread floating around in the water here too.
Too many well fed ducks again.

We spent a bit of time watching the ducks as usual, it's very hypnotic, and before you know it time has flown.

A few of the male ducks were having a few flapping fights which is quite comical.
Others were busy grooming themselves and enjoying the sun like the rest of us.

Mother duck was taking the kids out for a paddle and at least they were eating the ignored floating bread.

The ducklings are really growing quickly.
Hopefully we get to see them next time we visit, which going to plan, will be next week.

The Conclusion of our Spring Expedition

Stopped here for a snack out of the sun

I was going to do two posts to conclude our tale of Our Spring Expedition but thought I would just put it in one post.
After admiring the tulips we went for a walk up the hill to check out the Herb Garden which is right up at the top and over looks most of the gardens.

It was a nice walk up the hill, most of it in the shade which was nice as we had been in the sun most of the day.

Salem was collecting small pine cones and other conifer cones to take home, probably to make some sort of art work or display.  We always take some plastic bags with us in case Salem finds some "treasures" that he wants to take home.

In the past I've had to be inventive to stop my backpack getting dirty from his treasures, making containers from leaflets, using my thermos for all sorts of bits and pieces.
It is easier to be prepared.

When we got up to the Herb Garden we were a bit disappointed as there wasn't much on display.  It would be better to visit there in a couple of months maybe.
The view was spectacular but I forgot to take a photo of it.  DUH!!!!!!!!

The Peace Flame Garden

So then we walked down the hill taking a route down through the bush.
Then it was a visit to the Peace Flame Garden which is next to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden.
This is a lovely peaceful water garden with a pond and waterfall.

The Peace Garden contains the preserved flame that came from fires created by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II.

The flame was presented by the people of Japan to the people of New Zealand in recognition of our efforts to halt the spread of atomic weapons.

Wellington City and its citizens have been active in promoting peace, tolerance and understanding in our local community and the worldwide community.

Wellington became a Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone in on the 14th April 1982.

New Zealand as a country is a Nuclear Free Zone.

Ducklings following Mum and Dad

In this lovely peaceful garden, there were more ducklings and their busy parents.
They were delightful to watch.
We could have watched them for hours but it was time to head off to the Railway Station and make our way home.
I had a very tired and sleepy boy when we finally got home.
We had already planned our next trip in to Wellington...............

Lady Norwood Rose Garden - Poppies, Ducks and Ducklings

Salem admiring the poppies

We are now in the Wellington Botanical Gardens and visiting the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens.  We were amazed that the poppies were still blooming.  Last time we saw them was when Salem was in Cinderella with the Royal New Zealand Ballet which was in August.  So that means they have been flowering for two months.  They still looked fabulous!!!!

Mother Duck and her babies

We sat down for a bit and had a cup of tea and a biscuit and had a pleasant surprise.  Instead of roses in the rose beds, there was a mother duck with her little ducklings.  They were sooooo cute.  They were wandering about and poor mum was making sure they didn't stray.  Then they all got tired and had a sleep.

The fountain and ducks

There were a lot of ducks around as usual, some having a swim in the fountain.  The little duckings go for a swim there too and the lovely gardeners have put a ramp in the fountain's pondy bit for the ducklings to get out of the water easily.

It was lovely to see the ducks in the rose beds as there are no roses at this time of year.  The best time to see the roses is from November until May when everything is in full bloom.

The ducks were pretty laid back and let me get up close to them to take photos.  I think they were just lazing in the sun and just couldn't be bothered to waddle away.

But we waddled off and continued on our way....... more tomorrow.