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.

Ooh poor little things. You're such a good duck mama

Bloody cats (and I say that as a cat owner). 😟😟😟
Fingers crossed for the remainder. 🤞

Oh no! What a shame. I hope she's settled down today.

I was so sad yesterday. Poor Egwina desperately trying to find them. Had to laugh though this morning when DH drove off to work, stopped at the end of the drive, dived out of the car and chased the cat off. It wasn't even in a place where it could have got near the ducks but he's so angry bless him.

I'd thought of buying one of those automatic water squirters but of course that will squirt and frighten the ducks. So for now it's my crap water pistol and buckets of cold water. I've also put out 'Simon Le Bone' by the pond which hopefully cat will think is actually a person....

One thing I have noticed, Duncan was coming and going prior to this, but since yesterday he's not left her side. We had the heron round this morning, Egwina was in the duck house with the babies but he was kind of patrolling round it watching closely.

Anyway, pic of 8 ducklings eating breakfast attached and Simon Le Bone....

@AlanThePig what a lovely thread and how lovely are you- a fairy duckmother - helping Egwina.

This is why my cats are indoor cats or out on a lead.
As a cat slave I’m so sorry. But the image of a man in a full suit diving after a cat is not in my head!! You are fab grand-duck parents.

@Bargebill19

This is why my cats are indoor cats or out on a lead. As a cat slave I’m so sorry. But the image of a man in a full suit diving after a cat is not in my head!! You are fab grand-duck parents.

I did sit and hope yesterday that cat took the body and dropped it in the middle of the neighbours rug.

But it's nature isn't it I suppose. Egwina was bloody stupid. We watched her on the CCTV troop the whole brood towards it. Hopefully this makes her a bit more aware of potential danger.

Only the rug?! True retribution would have been the cat putting the body to rest in a slipper....and the owner slipping them on at 3am to go for a sleepy wee ...... mwah ha ha.
Yes it is nature and if the cat was feral and hunting to survive, much easier to accept. But cat owners can try to minimise the hunting instinct - keep them in especially at night, catios, and of course bells in collars.

What an amazing thread. Even though I am a bit late to it.

I really wasn't expecting to see Sunday's message as I already had the vision in my mind that all 10 would thrive as they are being so well cared for. They are so beautiful, your pond is so beautiful and I would dearly love to have such a sight every day.

I will be checking in every day to check how Egwina and her babies are doing.

I sort of have some babies in my care at the moment too. Every Spring I hear the same old peck peck coming from the roof above my desk (I wfh). For years now I have Hoopoes (I am not in UK, and am am not sure if you get these birds your way) that arrive in Spring, will peck away up there making a good old nest, and then a few weeks later I hear the familiar cheep cheep, which is what I am hearing every day at the moment. The mating pair are really not afraid of me at all and if I go into the garden and they are there, they won't fly away until i get really close to them.

Many years ago when they first found their spot here i did try to do everything to deter them from nesting here, but they won in the end. No matter how much i banged on the ceiling or blocked up holes, they still managed to get it and carried on nesting. So i gave up the fight.

Every year we sadly have a few casualties where some of the babies fall out the nest somehow, or in their first attempt to fly. I do have two big dogs and yesterday my Ridgeback brought me one and left it next to my feet. She was so gentle as she just laid the baby next to me. I get so very heartsore every time "I" lose one, when I actually don't even know how many babies are up there. There are definitely a fair few going by the racket they make at times

Some years I do have a bit of a job keeping them safe from the Indian Mynah birds, they are not my favorite bird as they attack other birds nests for the eggs, and also attack the newborns. If there is a Mynah about I do scare them off, as I have heard a complete and utter massacre up there in previous years when one got in and i was so upset. There were no cheeps cheeps after that..... I am possibly messing with nature a bit, but they are my Hoopoe family so I will scare off a ruffian if i need to.

So, they will stay up there for a few more weeks going by every other year, all going well. Then I will see them learning to fly as I get a prize position view from my office window. And then they all leave. And then I wait for next spring to hear the familiar peck peck again.

I live in the middle of a suburban area in a big city, so they are my little bit of wildlife I have to myself.

I think the reason I feel a bit conflicted is I rather liked this cat and misjudged it.
He's stupid. Beyond stupid. He's about a year old now and I watch him fall off our back fence with alarming regularity.
I've seen him lying next to the pond dipping a paw trying to catch fish and almost fall in. I've seen him try and eat/chase a toad and come off worse (as an aside, when daughter visited the other week her young Dachshund licked a huge toad and came flying in foaming at the mouth, both hilarious and scary at the same time, fortunately he was fine).

I honestly thought he was too daft to actually catch anything, but that said Egwina was extremely stupid herself and I'm not sure if she hadn't been so stupid he'd have had the talent to do what he did.

I think he's had collars in the past but the wood down the side of the house is quite dense and brambly and I think he's probably ripped them off.

I went through every deterrent known to man yesterday from pepper granules to sonic things but concluded they would only have a detrimental effect on the foxes etc

Nobody told me having a pond would be stressful 😂

Hmmm how about a positive spin on the tragedy?
By giving up their life, these two little duck souls, ensured their mother could take better care if their brothers and sisters. They sacrificed themselves to warn others of the worldly dangers surrounding them, and to give more space to others under their mother’s wings.

Perhaps I’m too overly invested?

Gorgeous thread.

@isthismylifenow
I had to google a Hoopoe, what a stunning little bird! Apparently we do get them but they seem to be a rare sight and on the south coast. I'm very firmly midlands UK so not much chance of seeing one here.

I am possibly messing with nature a bit

That chimed with me. It's so hard to find a balance. I can't help but wonder were it not for us would there be all these wild ducks now? Am I affecting populations?
I know when we moved here it had been a short term let for many years so the pond hadn't been thought about much. Our neighbours told us of a weird 'Frog Exodus' where hundreds would be in the street.
Now, through those years the grasses at the edge of the pond had been trimmed flat because it was easier I suppose. After speaking with the wetlands guy from our local trust he told us to leave it longer and cut back only in October. This helped the newts, dragonflies etc.

From then on we didn't get frog exodus and I realised when sat watching the frog spawn one day the newts ate it. Somehow by leaving these wild bits we'd redressed the balance and this year there has been a good mix of newts and frogs as well as more insects.

Are Indian Mynah birds the ones that talk? I recall a friend of my Grans way back in the 70's having one that swore like a sailor. Mum banned me from the house in the end 😂

I love ducks but by god, they stink.

Sorry about the 2 lost babies, Alan

I do hope your precautions will do the trick (& that you can get the bastard cat with your super soaker (?) at least once)

My cats have multiple big loud jangly bells on collars. It sounds like Christmas when all 3 come running for supper! I hope it reduces predation, but we’re in a residential area with very small back gardens/yards so probably much less wildlife anyway.

However my predator did once bring in a live duckling - there is a brook about 100 yards away. I took it to a bird sanctuary and it survived, I was so relieved. (The other 2 are so harmless that when he brings in a live mouse they just sit and look at it )

Oh what a shame! Still, as you say, Mama Duck will have learned a very sad yet valuable lesson that as a wild animal she should already know. Caution always. Constant vigilance!

Despite this sad turn of events I have to say, your post is a breath of fresh air on MN. It's just lovely to see something so sweet and heartwarming here. Thank you for brightening up my day.

Sadly our local duck pond in the village has been repeatedly attacked with bricks and rocks by nasty, feral children. Whole clutches of eggs were smashed by these rotten teens who's parents are well aware of their little darling's reputations yet still let them out every night. I'd take a cat any day over them. At least it's following it's hunting instincts and not just a cruel, malicious human being doing it for kicks.

Sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant there.

But honestly, your thread (and pond!!) is awesome.

[quote AlanThePig]@isthismylifenow
I had to google a Hoopoe, what a stunning little bird! Apparently we do get them but they seem to be a rare sight and on the south coast. I'm very firmly midlands UK so not much chance of seeing one here.

I am possibly messing with nature a bit

That chimed with me. It's so hard to find a balance. I can't help but wonder were it not for us would there be all these wild ducks now? Am I affecting populations?
I know when we moved here it had been a short term let for many years so the pond hadn't been thought about much. Our neighbours told us of a weird 'Frog Exodus' where hundreds would be in the street.
Now, through those years the grasses at the edge of the pond had been trimmed flat because it was easier I suppose. After speaking with the wetlands guy from our local trust he told us to leave it longer and cut back only in October. This helped the newts, dragonflies etc.

From then on we didn't get frog exodus and I realised when sat watching the frog spawn one day the newts ate it. Somehow by leaving these wild bits we'd redressed the balance and this year there has been a good mix of newts and frogs as well as more insects.

Are Indian Mynah birds the ones that talk? I recall a friend of my Grans way back in the 70's having one that swore like a sailor. Mum banned me from the house in the end 😂[/quote]
They are lovely birds, not so small they are quite good size. They have strong beaks so you can imagine the solid pecking sound.

Yes, Indian Mynahs are quite bright birds and can talk if they are kept as pets. My friend has one, which she found as a baby and raised it. It won't talk back to me, but it says phrases (I am a pretty boy) and it swears at times too, but it copied my friends husbands cough to a tee. Sometime you think he is there, but its actually the bird.... . If I had to put my finger in the cage, it would cause a bit of damage to it I reckon.

They are invasive though, and cause a lot of damage. I have a thatch area on an outside area of my house, which I need to rethatch as they have pulled out all the thatch on the top. They are also quite aggressive, and have gone for my dogs a few times, if there are a lot of them together and the dog threatens them at all. Rather than fly away will try to attack. And they make a bloody great racket too.

Frog exodus doesn't sound too appealing, that sounds very stressful. In fact that is a thing of nightmares . But yes I do agree, that finding the balance is difficult at times, but I am happy that you have been able to stabilize your pond life.

The only ducks I have been up close and personal with are Egyptian Geese who believe it or not would visit my pool from time to time. Think here is a definite sign of nature having been messed with.

@Dreading2020sSeasonFinale

Oh what a shame! Still, as you say, Mama Duck will have learned a very sad yet valuable lesson that as a wild animal she should already know. Caution always. Constant vigilance!

Despite this sad turn of events I have to say, your post is a breath of fresh air on MN. It's just lovely to see something so sweet and heartwarming here. Thank you for brightening up my day.

Sadly our local duck pond in the village has been repeatedly attacked with bricks and rocks by nasty, feral children. Whole clutches of eggs were smashed by these rotten teens who's parents are well aware of their little darling's reputations yet still let them out every night. I'd take a cat any day over them. At least it's following it's hunting instincts and not just a cruel, malicious human being doing it for kicks.

Oh gosh rant away, thats bloody awful. I worried about people finding us, but fortunately we're up a cul de sac and very few people know we're here. We did have a couple of kids who jumped the fence last year to mess around but they did actually listen when we told them they were disturbing the wildlife and please leave. I'd be horrified if my kids had ever done anything like that.

I've just opened the front door to lots of cheeping....looks like they have now worked out how to get service 😁

@Dreading2020sSeasonFinale

Oh what a shame! Still, as you say, Mama Duck will have learned a very sad yet valuable lesson that as a wild animal she should already know. Caution always. Constant vigilance!

Despite this sad turn of events I have to say, your post is a breath of fresh air on MN. It's just lovely to see something so sweet and heartwarming here. Thank you for brightening up my day.

Sadly our local duck pond in the village has been repeatedly attacked with bricks and rocks by nasty, feral children. Whole clutches of eggs were smashed by these rotten teens who's parents are well aware of their little darling's reputations yet still let them out every night. I'd take a cat any day over them. At least it's following it's hunting instincts and not just a cruel, malicious human being doing it for kicks.

Seriously, that is just awful!

I just despair of things some days.....

🤣🤣🤣🤣 they have learnt !!!!

You are an officially trained up dduck slave now op!!

Haha, clever babies! 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

I have loved this thread and will tune in for updates. Thank you. They have really grown quickly.

I really really wish I lived on your road! Loving this thread. We’re in a really surburban / residential area but we have a beautiful pond in a little park at the end of the road. It has a duck island, lots of duck houses and a little pier. I love it so much - it was a factor in buying this house in fact. Over the years we’ve spent lots of time there, my children loved it when they were little.