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.

Thrilled to say at some point one of the ducklings has returned home, so Dot is no longer on her own. One of the boys I think, hard to tell.

They are still very much confined to a small, non iced spot under the willow tree and the pond is still solid. It also forecast heavy snow showers here last night and this morning but thankfully they haven't materialised.
I'm just glad she's not on her own anymore!

Thanks for this fab. tale of the ducklings, OP!
It's bringing back memories of when I first moved to the UK. The friend I made lived in a place named Duckpool Cottage - but there was no duck pond, tho research clearly showed that there once had been. So friend bought a digger, a nice shiny orange one, and one summer we dug one out.And then she bought some ducklings, can't remember the breed.In time they'd waddle up to the door for treats, sometimes if the door was open they'd go inside looking for her, shitting everywhere. God! it stinks!

Glad Dot is not on her own tonight

Happy New Year OP!

Aw Dot & Webster Number? seeing the New Year in 🦆 🦆

Happy New Year @AlanThePig

Thank you so much for sharing. It's been lovely. You write very well, and some kind of PondLife.com blog would be excellent - although these things can be a chore in themselves!

Do keep us up to date with the last of this brood. It's so tempting to bring them in (or provide central heating and fitted carpets in Duckingham Palace) but they are living their natural lives with bonus expensive duck food!

🦆 🦆

Happy New Year all!
May 2021 bring lots of good things for you all, and more ducks!

Happy new year and thank you for the quackery!

I have loved this thread - but am very disappointed you didn't get these ducks in a row, this is Mumsnet after all!

Hello all and happy 2021!

Dot and Webster are still here and the pond still frozen solid other than the small area under the willow.

Some of you may remember the neighbours cat which killed two of the ducklings back at the start of this thread. He'd been missing for a few days apparently and looks like he was killed on the road that runs alongside us. I feel quite sad for the neighbours, horrid way to start a New Year.

In other news, I did manage to start a blog. I don't pretend to understand this at all and I don't like the platform really so I'm investigating the good old Live Journal of the 90's.... If I can sort it I will post a link but the Wix site I started originally seems ridiculously clunky.

Aha!
ayearonthepond.blogspot.com

My head hurts. I need a drink now.

Thank you @AlanThePig I've added your blog to my favourites. No pressure

@NoGoodPunsLeft

Thank you *@AlanThePig* I've added your blog to my favourites. No pressure

I spent two days staring at Wix and couldn't get my head around it. I have a degree in Graphic Design which included substantial amounts of web design but that platform made my head hurt 😂

I've taken a still from the CCTV of the pond. Am going to keep one a day and then stitch them together to show the rise and fall of the levels of water. I've also been out and set up the wildlife camera.

This level of determination will probably not last into February 😂

It looks cold! I've seen ducks sliding all over the place on a frozen pond.

Another lurker, de-lurking. Thank you for the lovely updates and the blog. I've added it to my Home Screen on my phone to check for updates. 🦆

Love the blog @AlanThePig - I didn't realise how long it took you to get Pond House. It was meant to be.

Not had chance to update today, but we still have Dot and Webster. About seventy percent of the pond is still frozen and it’s not forecast to get any warmer.
DH been down earlier and put the wildlife camera near a hole he’s found in the bank so will be interesting to see what, if anything is using it.

@BarbaraStripeshand I’d given up ever getting the place at one point. Worth the wait though.

I used to use Wordpress a decade ago which must be easy to use because my skills are not in that area. I'm looking forward to Spring and Dot's next brood.

Slightly bereft, we are duckless. They have flown to ponds anew (which frankly I don't blame them for because ours is frozen solid) and it's all rather quiet here at present.

Am getting the hang of the blog and also taking a daily photo from the CCTV camera that covers the pond. The idea being to knit them all together to show a full year on the pond, though might just do a month at first, especially as I don't think we've been unfrozen yet!

Oh AlanThePig you are suffering from empty nest syndrome.

@LadyEloise

Oh AlanThePig you are suffering from empty nest syndrome.

I am! I've been trawling the local facebook groups half expecting the 'theres a duck in my garden!' Posts I had last time, but nothing.

Typical kids, don't call, don't visit 😂

Awww, that's sad.
I've loved reading about Mum,Dad, and the Babes

Well.....not long till spring and hopefully you’ll have a new clutch of eggs and new demanding ducklings

@Soubriquet

Well.....not long till spring and hopefully you’ll have a new clutch of eggs and new demanding ducklings

Almost certainly. I think had the weather not been so bad we'd have had Egwina back before now. Need to get the old duck house in but at the moment its frozen in solid.

It is sad they have all gone, it must feel quite strange .

Thank you again for the thread, it has been lovely to watch them grow and have something nice to think about.

@101namesforme

It is sad they have all gone, it must feel quite strange .

Thank you again for the thread, it has been lovely to watch them grow and have something nice to think about.

Its about -4 here at present so I cant see as I'm missing traipsing out half a dozen times a day to feed them. I do find myself looking hopefully when I open the bedroom curtains in a morning though.

I should really enjoy the peace before mating season starts and I'm watching DH break up mallard fights in his slippers.
(they aren't fighting in his slippers I add 😂)