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Original poster

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

969 replies

AlanThePig · 18/10/2020 15:12

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.

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

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Houseofvelour · 09/04/2021 00:21

I've been reading your thread over the past few days and I'm in love 😍 can't wait to hear about all the new ducklings that Egwina will hopefully bring into this world.

I'm also following your blog and Instagram 😂 it's making me so happy

Original poster

AlanThePig · 08/04/2021 15:27

Well, the good news is the Geese are now only overnighting here, I'm now reasonably confident that they will clear off altogether in the next few weeks following the pattern they have from previous years.
Egwina is still on her eggs and Ronald continues to do well. Duncan is a bit of a spare part at the moment so comes and goes (coming usually coincides with meal times!)

Put some leftover bread out on the front bird table earlier and noticed it was at the point of collapse. Quite rotten and not really up to supporting the larger magpies and rooks we get. In the absence of anything better to do today I raided what was left of the woodpile, found a bag of postcrete at the back of the garage and made myself a new table. I'm rather pleased with myself. I've planted an ivy at its base in the hope it will do what the fake ivy currently is. Probably put some bedding plants in around it as well come summer.

As soon as the geese are permanently gone I can start digging out my new bed around the side of the pond. At the moment they tend to sit right in the spot I want to put it so I'm in no doubt they would eat whatever I put in the gits.

OP posts:

Original poster

AlanThePig · 08/04/2021 15:16

@AgathaMystery

OP thank you for this thread - I love it so much! Please may I read your blog too?

Of course! Thank you ❤️

ayearonthepond.blogspot.com

OP posts:

AgathaMystery · 08/04/2021 03:16

OP thank you for this thread - I love it so much! Please may I read your blog too?

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 17:27

@Waterfallgirl

Just discovered your thread today *@AlanThePig* - and so glad I did! What a brilliant pond you have and great narrative of all the goings on. I love the blog too. I’m hooked and I should actually be working ( I’m claiming poor internet connection for my lack of motivation this afternoon 😂)

Thank you! Happy to be your excuse. It's a horrid day, freezing here with snow on and off all day, I lack motivation when it's like this myself, especially when it's been T Shirt weather all weekend.

Egwina has just been over for dinner, never seen her move so quick. Think she was keen to get back in her house. Poor girl must be feeling sea sick by now as it's really been blown around.

Spoke to rescue lady who said she'll bear us in mind if she has anything that needs releasing (as long as its not geese!!!)

OP posts:

Waterfallgirl · 06/04/2021 17:13

Just discovered your thread today @AlanThePig - and so glad I did! What a brilliant pond you have and great narrative of all the goings on. I love the blog too. I’m hooked and I should actually be working ( I’m claiming poor internet connection for my lack of motivation this afternoon 😂)

CongealedCrags · 06/04/2021 16:55

Ronald has definitely got goose aspirations

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 16:13

You will have to start doing a new thread for when Egwinas chicks hatch

and Gabby’s

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 16:07

They grow up to be quite handsome I suppose

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 16:03

@Soubriquet

Oh dear god

I wish I could say he was cute but he really isn’t

Funny little things aren't they? "characterful" 😂

OP posts:

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 16:00

Oh dear god

I wish I could say he was cute but he really isn’t

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 15:59

Small update, Ronald survived the night, is eating, drinking and flapping. She's sent me a photo of his cute little self face only a mother could love

OP posts:

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 13:10

@CongealedCrags

So Wildlife lady might be looking for someone with a large pond and a penchant for buying duck food that she could offload some of her recovered homeless ducks?

I confess, the thought did cross my mind. I'm unsure what level of involvement is needed with rescue ducks. If it's a case of releasing, feeding and leaving to nature thats fine, but if it involves bringing them in at night etc it's probably a bit too much for us to take on.

Its certainly worth a chat with her though!

OP posts:

CongealedCrags · 06/04/2021 12:41

So Wildlife lady might be looking for someone with a large pond and a penchant for buying duck food that she could offload some of her recovered homeless ducks?

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 12:14

Oh the poor thing

I hope she’s ok too

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 12:12

She rescued one from a local park that was found with severe burns. The Police apparently didn't know if this was an accidental or deliberate attack. She's a female mallard as well so that one choked me a bit. Happily she recovered and is now in a forever home where she'll be cared for.

OP posts:

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 12:06

Adorable

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 12:06

Awwwww sounds absorbable

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 11:43

@Soubriquet

Birds I have no idea on raising.

Hedgehogs on the other hand.. I’m a dab hand at

Had to bottle feed a baby that was about 10 days old and rehabilitate him

Oh thats amazing. I do love hogs. I was considering an albino pet one a few years ago but talked myself out of it. We did have a resident hog but not seen him for a while. I did leave food out but found when watching the camera footage that 90% of it was being eaten by the magpies and ravens so I stopped doing it.

Had to smile though, the lady runs the rescue in her back garden which is filled with paddling pools....looking on her facebook she mostly rescues ducks. ❤️

OP posts:

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 11:29

Birds I have no idea on raising.

Hedgehogs on the other hand.. I’m a dab hand at

Had to bottle feed a baby that was about 10 days old and rehabilitate him

Original poster

AlanThePig · 06/04/2021 10:36

@Soubriquet

Wildlife will drive you crazy sometimes won’t it

Absolutely. Just glad someone could take him in as I have no idea how to feed baby birds.

It also put paid to the bubble bath I was planning 😂

OP posts:

Soubriquet · 06/04/2021 02:58

Wildlife will drive you crazy sometimes won’t it

Original poster

AlanThePig · 05/04/2021 21:34

@CongealedCrags

Swings and roundabouts

Do you think you lured him out of the tree with your goose music?

Lmao. Maybe he identified as a goose and tried to follow the call to flight 😂

Wildlife lady said he’d not been there long and had a full crop which I believe means he’d not long been fed and watered. They are daft creatures wood pigeons so he’d probably filled his belly, dozed off and fell out.

Hope he’ll be ok though. Couldn’t have left the poor little thing shaking on the ground.

OP posts:

CongealedCrags · 05/04/2021 21:23

Swings and roundabouts

Do you think you lured him out of the tree with your goose music?

Original poster

AlanThePig · 05/04/2021 21:19

So here's how this evening went.....

I'd literally hit 'post' on the above when DH, who'd been dispatched to McD's for a cheeky McFlurry, bounds through the door and says "We've got a problem!"
On the drive was a baby wood pigeon, a bit dazed and confused and shaking like a leaf. Tried to find the nest, too far up the tree and nowhere to put him safely. By now it's getting dark so he was gathered up in a box and popped in a dark, warm corner of the kitchen where he finally stopped shivering.

Happily found a local lady who thinks he's only days from fledging and will look after him, fingers crossed he will recover but he was last seen looking quite pleased with himself snuggled in her jumper. He's been named Ronald, as were it not for DH nipping to McD's we'd never have found him.

OP posts:

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