A Watchful Eye

by Laurie Morgan

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Price

$175

Dimensions

5.500 x 8.500 inches

Title

A Watchful Eye

Artist

Laurie Morgan

Medium

Painting - Pastels

Description

This mother duck comes to my backyard every year, mates with a drake, and lays her eggs. They hatch and she brings them down the hill into my pool. The first year she had 6 ducklings. The next year she had 12; and a month or so later, had 10 more! The wander around my yard eating bugs, worms and snails. For the first brood I put out some dog food and lettuce. But I realized they found food on their own very quickly. Sadly, several, if not all of them die, one way or another. Hawks, owls, raccoons, opossums and other predators live near and can find and catch them easily. The mortality rate is pretty low. I guess that's why nature allows her to have so many at a time; to hopefully increase the rate of survival. I took hundreds of photos as they grew and changed.The last batch were in my yard for about a month. This painting expresses the mother's devotion to her babies. She had a watchful eye on them all the time. When anybody went in our yard, she would make them all jump in the pool. She must have recognized me, because she often stayed out of the pool when I went outside. I hope she senses that I'm not a threat. The ducks are darling, but messy! But I wouldn't want them to stop hatching in my backyard. They are a joy to watch!

Uploaded

June 23rd, 2017

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