Cyn's Nature Notes: Odd Duck

Thursday 15 April 2010

Odd Duck

Our female duck is back, the male in tow, quacking and fussing all around her. She has to have lost her first nest – maybe to the fox, because she is once again here all day long, every day.

Today, finishing off some embroidery, I heard a tap, tap, tapping on the patio door, looking up I saw our female duck sitting on the top step, stretching her neck and tapping on the glass. I waved to her and went to the kitchen, by the time I had arrived there, she was already waiting. I reached out and poured half a plastic beaker of birdseed out of the window on to the path for her. Next I fetched two slices of wholemeal bread, well water-soaked to break up and toss out to her. His majesty stands deferentially behind his wife as she eats, only snatching leftover food as he follows her to the pond, once she is satiated. He has grown very good at catching water-soaked bread pieces, which I throw to him as he patiently waits behind her.

This time I left her eating and returned to the lounge – no sooner had I sat down and picked up my embroidery than she was back on the top step, tap, tap, tapping at the window again.

She cannot have finished so much, so soon, I thought, as she continued tapping. I stood up, went into the kitchen, leaned out of the window, and there she was still tapping, while the male was finishing the food.

I called and called, but to no avail. She stayed where she was. I went back to my embroidery and easy chair, she tapped the window – I waved to her, she settled down, tucked her head round her back on her wing, and went to sleep. “Well, what was all that about?” I mused. “Perhaps she just wanted to say thank you”, said another voice from the other easy chair.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.