Duck Tales! (Still not what I expected to wake up to this morning)

[AlanThePig]

With the last thread almost full and a new clutch of ducklings I thought it might be time for another thread.

So this morning I was happily working away in the front garden when I happened to glance at the duck house, and saw two faces staring back....
Now I know our resident duck Egwina was on eggs, but I was convinced they were due to hatch somewhere around the end of the month. Quite surprised to spot ducklings.

As the day has worn on 14 little fluffy yellow ducklings have slowly emerged into the sunlight and launched themselves (not very gracefully) into the water. I say 14, I'm not 100% certain yet as they aren't keeping still enough to count and there might be more inside.

Difficult to photograph all together at present as some are in and some are out and they haven't yet come close enough to see. There was 12 (I think!) in this photo and 2 on the deck.
Congratulations Egwina!

"Egwina is living her best duck life"

She sure is.
Than you for the update.

had a message in the week from a lady who’d bought two mallard ducklings, unfortunately her plan to raise them in the back yard with a paddling pool didn’t quite go to plan and she found they didn’t have enough room. She asked if I could have them here.
I think they are roughly the same age as our 16 clutch from April, of which about five come and go now. These haven’t yet honed their flight skills.
As soon as they were released on to the pond they went mad, flapping, dunking under the water etc. It was adorable to watch. The other funny thing was they seem to quack differently. I joked to DH they had a different accent but it was true, they sounded so different to ours!

Egwina is rather indifferent to them as she’s concentrating on the famous five, there was a little shouting between the new guys and the teenage ducklings but by the time I’d got back home later on they all seemed to be friends and when I got back from the pub (don’t mention the score) all were happy together and shouting for supper.

Unsure if they will stay or fledge with this not being the pond they were raised in, be interesting to see. Probably should order more food then!

Why are people such idiots?

There’s a chance those ducks have had their wings clipped if they were sold as pets, so be aware they might not be able to fly off even if they wanted to

I’ve just had to rescue this little chap from cats

Currently contacting a rescue to take him in. Don’t want to leave him as cat food

@Soubriquet

Why are people such idiots?

There’s a chance those ducks have had their wings clipped if they were sold as pets, so be aware they might not be able to fly off even if they wanted to

No they have their wings. I think she’s had planned to do that but realised they needed more space etc. One can fly reasonably well but not far, the other as at the stop start phase. I presume as they didn’t have anywhere to practice that the muscles needed haven’t quite built up enough yet for them.

That’s a baby pigeon isn’t it @Soubriquet? Another Ronald! Lovely things but so stupid. Poor thing and bloody cats again. Speaking of which we are seemingly now down to four ducklings. One has gone overnight. I did think we were going well with all five.

Yep. It’s a pige

It’s gone to the vets to be checked it’s healthy and then a rescue centre I’ve been in contact with are going to get him fostered and then released

This popped up on my Facebook, my first thought was that you’d gone shabby chic

@FelicityBeedle

This popped up on my Facebook, my first thought was that you’d gone shabby chic

Oh my! Thats AMAZING 😂😂

Duck update. All teenage ducklings aside from 2 adopted ones have flown again. Egwina has spent the afternoon trooping around with the 4 babies following me trying to mow. Eventually she gave up the game and curled herself and the ducklings up right where I was trying to strip.
Needless to say she wouldn't shift and there is a patch of long grass now.

I've also managed to drop an earbud in the pond in one of the deepest bloody places. Managed to fish it out with a big magnet and it was still powered up so hopefully it will dry out. Properly cursing myself over that one.

@FelicityBeedle

I'm sure that's at a farm park up near Scarborough, I was there the other week and did think of you @AlanThePig 😂

Poor Egwina - toddlers and teenagers !!!

Glad she's getting a bit of chill time sitting in your way now the teenagers have flown the nest.

Finished my little platform thing. It’s almost round if you squint. Ducklings were underneath it pretty quick as it offers some shade. Need to stain it tomorrow so it’s not as ‘in your face’.

It’s pretty!

Do you think Wina might have a 3rd clutch this year if the weather holds like it did last year?

@Soubriquet

It’s pretty!

Do you think Wina might have a 3rd clutch this year if the weather holds like it did last year?

Not sure really, I hope not as that was extremely stressful all round. TBH I'm not even sure if Duncan is here or not at present given he's in eclipse plumage, everyone looks the same. I can easily spot the two rescues though as they are extremely vocal. If she's following nature (HA!) then she should start laying again towards the end of this month, but with having the new ducklings last month I can't see her doing that.

I managed to dry out my ear bud and it worked! Unfortunately it wont bloody charge so thats the end of that one. Gutted.

Eeeek. One of the very many reasons why I won’t use wireless ear buds

I would lose them or damage them too quick

@Soubriquet

Eeeek. One of the very many reasons why I won’t use wireless ear buds

I would lose them or damage them too quick

I could do what I did a million times and it wouldn't fall in the water. I was bailing out the boat so I could go out and do some weeding. I was leaning right over the boat. Instead of landing in the boat it managed to bounce off the side of the rowlock and into the water. Ironically, I'd buttoned my phone up in the pocket of my work trousers and never considered the buds 😂

Fortunately they weren't really expensive ones and I still live in hope that they spark back to life. Meanwhile I'm back to wired which annoy me.

Well this is weird. Came home to another new face, only it seems to know the drill for food.....
Am now wondering if it's a previous duckling turned white, something DH and I both laughed at as impossible, only apparently it can happen.

Who knows?!

I told you…there’s a ducksnet out there

“Quick, come over to Alan’s pond over by X town. If you go up to the door and quack loudly, they feed you! Unlimited food and plenty of places to swim and sleep. Honestly well worth it”

I agree @Soubriquet re Ducknet.
"Have you heard of AlanThePig's gaffe ?
Safe swimming, safeish sleeping - they go off duty at night and free food on request. What's not to like ???

Surely it's Ducksnest

Ducksnet/Ducksnest. Brilliant.

Most of the others have gone but little white duck is still here. Came over for food this morning when DH opened the curtains so it certainly knows how to get fed. It's very striking and I rather hope he/she stays.
For now 'she' is tentatively christened Daisy. Even Egwina seems to like her.

I did read last night that you can spot a male mallard by a curl in the tail feathers so I'm going to go and study Daisy in a moment, she may become Donald....

After getting some excellent advice over on the garden forum I have purchased a pond pump and hopefully tomorrow will be able to get my little urn pouring water.

Decided to go for it and cheer myself up a bit. I should have been going to a garden party on Saturday and it’s been cancelled. Devastated as I’d been looking forward to it for months (it was a staff party for a certain F1 team) so I’ve been extra grumpy all week without taking the heat into consideration.

In duck news Daisy left this morning and then returned for dinner. She rather makes me smile. Cocky duckling met his match with one of his older siblings tonight as well. He’s been getting a bit big for his flippers of late and having a go at any of the older ducks that get near him at dinner time. It’s funny because he’s by far the smallest of the newer ducklings. Anyway, he tried it tonight and older brother gave him a right good dunking. The funniest part was how he forgot about the food and skulked off across to the other side of the pond chirping loudly at Egwina as if to say “did you see that!?” 😂

Anyway. Quick photo of this evenings dinner queue.

Grass

Aw you have got your own duck army

@Lorddenning1

Aw you have got your own duck army

Release the quacken