NOT what I expected to wake up to this morning...

[AlanThePig]

Some of you might recall we have a rather large pond in our garden. On it we have a pair of ducks. First day of lockdown appeared ten, beautiful ducklings. They grew up, flew away and that was that until next spring.

Except I woke up to this......
There are ten more (seven in this photo) and I can only assume the warm weather has thoroughly confused her.

I'm now going spend the next few months fretting over bloody wildlife.

Oh poor thing, she looks fed up, doesn't she

Congratulations on your new brood!!

Ah bless them, hope it's a mild winter!

I'm hoping we can get a couple of weeks of this milder weather to give them a fighting chance. Poor confused girl.

Dad has buggered off again 😂

Awww bless.

Can you get some proper food for them? That help her stay well/strong & able to look after her babies.

Do you have a duck house?

Install a duck house with a ramp.?! Gorgeous little family and she obviously feels safe with you.

We do have a duck house, and it's a floating one so they are fairly safe. Ducks are fed on an expensive floating food.

She's very tame with us for a wild duck, last time she brought all the ducklings to the front door daily for food so I expect she'll start doing that again (if you're not quick enough she'll come in). She's had a bit of food from me earlier and I'll go and throw her a bit more shortly.

I'm worrying and there is little I can do other than keep the food coming. I do hope they all survive.

Oh that’s gorgeous! Are you going to let them move in during winter if it’s cold? hope we get a really mild one.

Lovely duck family!

I saw some ducklings by a local pond a few days ago and was concerned.

Aww aren't you lucky I'd love this .
I'm the same during lockdown I've had a family of sparrows who would come into my garden I even named them .
I think they have moved on in the last week as my fat balls haven't been touched and I haven't seen them , I'm gutted but hopeful they will be back next spring .

Oh bless. They are gorgeous.

Are you the poster whose neighbours used your duck pond to advertise their holiday home?

@Comefromaway

Oh bless. They are gorgeous.

Are you the poster whose neighbours used your duck pond to advertise their holiday home?

Thats me 😂

I've worked with the local wetlands expert from our wildlife trust in the past, so I've dropped him an email to see if there is anything he can suggest.
They are late, but not as late as they could have been IYSWIM. They grow really bloody quick so a couple of not too bad weeks without major frosts or snow should give them a good start.

I now need to go and put shiny tape everywhere to discourage the heron ...

I could not be more jealous if I tried - HUGE envy

The df brings new meaning to fair weathered!!

You are a fab duck (umm) granny!! She’s a lucky duck to have found you. And yes, I’m envious even though we have a family of 6 adult swans which still want feeding.
Now go and get that tape draped!

You lucky thing! They are perfect. We don't have a pond but a forest so lots of deer and foxes.

However occasionally in the spring we get a pair of ducks who sit on our thatched roof and wind the labrador up terribly.

Ducks are awesome

This is the most wonderful thing I've seen on here for a long time.... there is a page on wikihow on winter duckling care but I don't know how to link.... plenty of hay seems to be the way...

• goes out to start digging a pond...

Awww and I get excited when a hedgehog comes into ours ! We do have a resident pheasant, and for the first year a red squirrel. We rushed out and got a squirrel feeder and put hazelnuts in it and love watching it burying the nuts in the grass

We have just feed 60 or so ducks on the expensive floating food. An absolute joy. No new babies though. Enjoy your little ones

Please can we have daily duckling updates. Would be such a wonderful thing to read each day in this current covid climate of gloom .

Ah lovely story OP. An antidote to all the grimness that's abound atm.

Is that a daffodil I see in The first picture? 🤔

Another very jealous person here

Duckdates please