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.

[quote VexedofVirginiaWater]This story reminded me of you OP

www.aol.co.uk/living/pesky-swan-enjoys-knocking-on-doors-with-his-beak-112946003.html[/quote]
Thats hilarious, and I think if mine could reach the letterbox they would knock.
Had an amusing moment with Egwina earlier. I could hear quacking, loud panicked quacks. I opened the front door and she was on the mat, looking up shouting at me and doing this tail feather shaking thing. It was so funny, a bit like when Donald Duck has a moment.

Anyway, she was trying to say 'hey, there is a male here thats not Duncan and I can't get back to my nest!'
Ended up chasing male away and she returned to her eggs. It really made me laugh though. She was so annoyed.

What a wonderful thread. I'm so glad it's in Classics now.

Awwwww that is amazing she came to you to help her!!!

Not only do you provide too notch meals on demand but also security!

@RandomMess

Not only do you provide too notch meals on demand but also security!

I did get some video of her shouting at me. I’ll try and upload it tomorrow. I say try, in none duck news our internet stopped working properly back in November. Weirdly we have download speed but virtually no upload speed so uploading images has to be done via rather patchy 4g. BT couldn’t fix it, Talk Talk actually made it worse and we are waiting to transfer to a specialist company next week who guarantee to fix it. It’s been a bit of a nightmare. DH has really struggled to WFH because sending an email is a half hour task.

In other weird news, found a pile of feathers outside the front door earlier. Went back through the cctv and saw possibly the biggest crow I’ve ever seen rip the feathers from a pigeons tail mid flight. Pigeon survived, few less feathers than before, but forgive my crassness it seems if it’s not shagging it’s fighting at the moment. I bloody hate spring 😂

I have news.....
Egwina is on eggs!

Yay! Go Egwina!!! Excited for more ducklings!

Spring has definitely sprung then!

@TheSilveryPussycat

Spring has definitely sprung then!

Everything has bloody sprung. There are frogs everywhere. I keep finding them on the drive flattened as they get run over at night (no chance of seeing them), the pond is just moving with them. Fortunately there also seems to be a lot of newts, who in turn eat the frog spawn, so hopefully the numbers will even out again.

I sat on the pier in the sun earlier and everywhere I looked there were frogs, pond skimmers, bees. It was wonderful. The downside is the snow we're forecast for the weekend.....

I've run off to check the forecast and we don't have snow but do have a frost next week. I haven't seen a frog, I know there are some in the graden because I once had a terrible lawn mower experience and when I had the hedge taken out there were frogs everywhere for a couple of days.

@Knotaknitter

I've run off to check the forecast and we don't have snow but do have a frost next week. I haven't seen a frog, I know there are some in the graden because I once had a terrible lawn mower experience and when I had the hedge taken out there were frogs everywhere for a couple of days.

I'm not keen on frogs at all, lawn mowing especially. I tend to move the mower slowly so they hop into the borders, but weirdly they are mostly around the back garden than in the front by the pond. We have big, fat toads as well. If you move a planter etc this time of year one will hop out and I'll invariably screech, because even though I know it's likely to happen it scares the shit out of my every time.

Forecast for us (midlands) earlier was cold, chance of snow Sunday and Monday. Thankfully I've not yet put any plants out, my kitchen window is heaving with sweet peas and black eyed Susan's that cant go out yet. I really do need a proper greenhouse but the kitchen window is just such a successful little spot.

🐣

How exciting!! Another brood for us all to follow!

Just found this thread again! Yay for Egwina's eggs.

We're a bit east of you & im not impressed with the forecast Monday/Tuesday ❄️

I'm only seeing male ducks on the canal, all the females must be on nests somewhere 🥚

@NoGoodPunsLeft

We're a bit east of you & im not impressed with the forecast Monday/Tuesday ❄️

I'm only seeing male ducks on the canal, all the females must be on nests somewhere 🥚

Been nicer today than anticipated. We went out for lunch (well, a run to Burger King in Macc) and had the roof down. It was lovely, though definitely warmer up that way than here.

Got back to find 2 Geese trying to drag various bits of foliage on to duck island to fashion a nest. I do not want nesting geese. DH and I then had to drag the island out of the water to stop any further shenanigans.
I really wish they would go now, they have eaten half the plants around the pond and are making such a mess, 😭

Poor geese

Let them nest

Baby geese are so cute

The geese have seen the five star service the ducks have and want a bit of that action!

Yesterday I dragged my speaker to the front for and played Goose flight calls, much to DH's amusement.
End of tether had been reached as they started to rip out the bloody lily pads, wildflowers and snap and Duncan and Egwina. As cute as they are our little eco system here can't support 2 hulking great stinking geese without having a knock on with everything else.

Stereo was met with some interest and within half an hour of stopping the sounds they flew off. I did a lap of honour around the lounge whilst proclaiming my utter genius, which was sadly short lived as the buggers were back before I'd finished the trip around the sofa.

Anyway, the update is.....they left this morning and haven't returned. I'm hoping thats that for the year and they have found somewhere a bit more suitable to nest. I just know I'll be updating this in the morning with photos of Geese though...

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.

Swings and roundabouts

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

@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.

Wildlife will drive you crazy sometimes won’t it

@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 😂

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