** You’re most welcome to browse and throw in your two pebbles, make some ripples or make a splash. But PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG OR COPY **
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A few weeks before the worst flooding in our City’s history, I saw these baby Mergansers having a great time by the Bow River with their Mom. Where were they when the flood came? And where are they now?
Here, let me get closer for you to hear what they were saying that one fine day…
“Ok, our goggles on, we’re ready.”
“Let’s get going.”
“Hey you with the camera… what are you looking at? Don’t you know she’s a tough act to follow?”
“Ok kids, do as I do. I dive, you dive.”
“I skim, you skim.”
Hope they’re still skimming and diving in some clear, calm water.
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The following photo was taken just a few days ago. Somebody had the good sense to lighten up in the aftermath of the disaster. I shot this looking down from a high bridge onto the muddy bank of the Elbow River . At first I had trouble spotting exactly what we were supposed to be happy about. But later, my heart lifted as I silently thanked the anonymous rock gatherer(s). Yes, to all:
HAPPY SUMMER!
And the well wishes extend to all those Down Under as well… a safe and happy winter!
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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.
RELATED POSTS:
Saturday Snapshot July 6: After the Flood
Saturday Snapshot June 22: The Two Faces of a River
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Ripple Effects 
What wonderful photos! I’ve never seen this breed of bird before. They are precious – almost look like they are wearing a mask.
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Kaye,
Yes… like they’re going to a masquerade party. That was my first time seeing Merganser babies and they sure looked funny. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
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Those ducklings are so cute! If they’ve had a few weeks to grow up, I’m sure they’re fine. Thanks for sharing them.
My sculptural snapshots
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Lisa,
Let’s hope so. Thanks for leaving your comment.
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Lovely photos.
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booketta,
Welcome and thanks! Hope to hear from you again.
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Love the journey of the ducklings…thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.
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laurelrainsnow,
Today I saw a Mom Merganser with three juveniles (teens, not babies), made me think they might be these babies. 😉
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OMG! Those little ducklings are picture perfect … fluffy balls of down! Great shots! i love the texture of the water too … the lens speed worked magic on it!
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Susan,
Thanks. Yes, I was using the sports mode on my camera, good for movement.
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Terrific photos. Those are adorable birds. I’m sure they were well-equipped to handle the flood. Here’s Mine
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Thanks Paulita for stopping by and leaving your comment. You’ve got some great photos there.
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These are lovely ducks – so different looking and just adorable.
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Diane,
I saw a Mom Mergansers with three juvenile today. Maybe they were these ones, now teenagers.
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Love those adorable fluffy Mergansers…try saying that fast.
Great shots. Hope the rest of summer is happy with no disasters!
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Ellen,
They’re just charming… but I can only see them clearly after I’ve uploaded the photos. They were quite far away. At first some of them were on the back of the Mom. 😉
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Sweet images, Arti. Loved your commentary, too. Yes, happy summer! I hope the weather in your neck of the woods gets going with summer with no glimpses back at winter!
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nikkipolani,
It sure has been a troublesome spring/summer so far, in so many different places of the world. Let’s just pray for a more peaceful and safe rest of the year.
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Those photos are just wonderful. I just saw my mama duck yesterday, with all seven of her remaining babies tagging along behind – teenagers now, themselves. She lost a few, but these are big enough now that they can scoot out of the way of a good bit of trouble.
The “Happy Summer” wish is wonderful. The best part is that by using stones rather than simply incising it in the sand (or mud – whatever), they’ve made it a bit longer-lasting, so more people can enjoy it.
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Linda,
At first I didn’t quite figure out the second word. Happy Supper? Took me a while… doh. And I can’t help thinking about these babies. Yes, they’d be teenagers by now. Hope they’re all safe and sound somewhere, swimming and diving.
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Happy Summer to you Arti. That duck family is so cute- I hope the little guys are ok.
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Louise,
Yes, just hope so. Now wherever I see Mergansers (saw one adult female with three juveniles yesterday) and automatically I’d think of these little ones.
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How adorable!!! Great shots.
Love the Happy Summer design too.
THANKS.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Saturday Snapshot
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Elizabeth,
Welcome! Yes, it was a pleasure watching them… babies day out. 😉
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I love your pictures of the ducklings – they are so cute and fuzzy – I hope they stayed in a safe place. Happy Summer to you too. Here we are still having rain almost daily and temperatures not above the mid 70s which is highly unusual but nice not to be in the 90s.
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Vagabonde,
Wishing you a happy, healthy and safe summer, you and yours! 😉
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I just read your comment on la Piscine Molitor. I went back to read the comment I wrote when you talked about the book, the Life of Pi and the movie. I have not read the book but I saw the movie since then and I loved it – it was fantastic and so well acted. Thanks for the comment.
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What cuties 🙂 Your pictures of them are just beautiful!
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DoingDewey,
Welcome! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. Hope to hear from you again. 😉
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Artie, if someone had asked me before reading this post what a Merganser was I’d guess a high school science teacher’s last name. Thanks for introducing me to such an adorable duck family. I hope nature has been kind to them. I also hope that the rest of the summer by you follows the suggestion of that message and it is indeed happy.
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Those little guys are just precious. Hopefully they were able to float to higher ground and avoid disaster.
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I hope your sweet friends found and survived in higher water. They’re so adorable — never seen any quite like them. I’d love to think you’ll see them again — bigger!
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Adorable ducklings. I expect they weathered the flood just fine. What a nice message someone took the time to spell out. They did a good job of it too!
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