Ducklings

On the whole, we love having wild ducks living in our garden. Towards the end of last year, we had over sixty, but the numbers have fluctuated a lot since then. At first, we worried many had died due to the outbreak of bird flu, but recently, as many as fifty have been dropping in for a free meal (or two). We can only assume they were happy living on the nearby lake and didn’t need to supplement their diet. They may also have been cooler on the water during the prolonged heatwave. Either way… it’s nice to have them back.

The only thing we don’t like is they way they treat their eggs. At the beginning of the season, they just lay them in the middle of the lawn for the crows to eat. A bit later, one or two may build a nest in our field shelter and start sitting, but they are vulnerable to foxes and we usually find smashed eggshells before they hatch. Other bad nest sites include under a drainpipe and in a large flower pot.

The successful mum ducks tend to be more secretive and the first thing we know is when they turn up early for breakfast with a few ducklings in tow. The little ones are such fun and yet we know the majority won’t survive. There were three broods this year. One of six, that quickly went down to five, four, two and then just one. The remaining baby was last seen heading to the lake behind mum. We hoped she had the sense to keep it there until it was bigger. Another batch of eight went down to seven before they too, disappeared towards the lake. The most successful mum has been very protective and only lost two babies in the months they have been visiting.

They turned up for breakfast this morning and we could hardly tell them apart from the other adult ducks. The only hint is that the four youngsters wait just inches behind the porch door, while mum is much more wary. It’s been wonderful to have them around and we hope they will continue to visit.

The photographs here are of the two ducklings that went down to one just a couple of days later. I sat in the porch with the door open and used my Sigma 150-600mm lens. The images make them look much bigger than they really were. I also got a picture of mum.