A Morning with the Ducks at the Pond

The Beautiful Mallard Duck

This morning, I took a quiet stroll to the little pond just down the road from my house in Okotoks. The rain from the past few days has finally stopped, leaving everything fresh and glistening. I couldn’t resist bringing my camera along—there’s always something magical to capture after a good rain.

At the pond, a small group of mallards was paddling lazily near the reeds, their iridescent green heads catching the sunlight. I sat on a nearby bench, watching as a mother duck led her fluffy ducklings in a wobbly line behind her. The way they dipped their tiny beaks into the water, splashing and quacking softly, made me smile. I snapped a few photos, trying to catch the moment when one of the ducklings flapped its tiny wings, as if testing them out for the first time. It’s these little scenes that remind me why I love living in a place like Okotoks—nature is never far away, always ready to surprise you with its quiet beauty.

As I watched, a gentle breeze rippled the water, and the reflection of the surrounding trees danced on the surface. I thought about how much joy these simple moments bring me, and how lucky I am to have them right in my backyard. Later today, I’m heading to the local greenhouse to pick up some petunias for my garden—I can’t wait to add a splash of colour to my raised beds, maybe something to match the vibrancy of those mallard feathers. There’s something so grounding about connecting with nature, whether it’s through a lens or with my hands in the soil.