On the 23rd, two days after my last report, we awoke to find our female duck and 12 ducklings waiting for breakfast under the side window. We had two days of pure delight watching them. WE marveled at what a good mother this female was – 12 offspring to watch over, but she managed admirably.
The next morning, she was there waiting with her 12 babies, along with 4 female and one male pheasants, plus a few pigeons, blackbirds, dunnocks, thrushes, chaffinches and robins. The goldfinches were feeding on last year’s seedheads. A pair of bullfinch and a greenfinch were on the lawn and two wrens did a wonderful courtship display on the back lawn. Across the middle side lawn were our other pair of resident ducks. Later in the day, we decided not to allow them to spend the day in the garden. We just fed them and gently moved them on each time they returned – easier said than done when they consider this their home. We had to do this because the male found the female with 12 ducklings irresistibly attractive and would harass her until she flew off leaving her dozen ducklings scattered in disarray across the garden, and while she would eventually return, the male was waiting and the scene would repeat itself.
The third morning we rose and on looking out of the kitchen window saw eight ducklings and no mother. We watched and waited, an hour passed and still there were eight motherless ducklings. Mike scoured the lane – had a fast-moving car run over the mother duck, and maybe the four missing ducklings? I visited our next door neighbor and after explaining the situation asked if I could search their garden. We searched under bushes and hedges, in flower beds and down to river bank, but found no sign. Then on rounding a bend I saw a piece of downing fluff, and in two more steps I saw the unmistakable scattered remains of a duckling on the path. Back home still only eight ducklings and no mother. We wondered did they make their own way to the pond or did she bring them? Either way, what had happened to her? Was it that the other resident male had driven her away? If so, was it a bird of prey that took the missing ducklings? Or was it a fox? A few years ago I watched a fox decimate our family of ducklings even though I went outside and tried to intervene. The fox stood his ground, skirting round me all the time then rushing in to snatch another duckling. Why didn’t she get on the pond with her ducklings? I did not know. I was beginning to wonder if the same fox had paid another visit and was responsible for the situation.
The eight surviving ducklings were amazing: they swam on the pond, caught flies, played, climbed out, groomed, and slept in a huddle. Previously we had only seen them tucked safely under their mother to sleep. They went to and fro to eat, marching like little soldiers in close formation across the lawn, down the path to where the food was put out. Yesterday when their mother was here they had run hither and thither investigating everything, jumping to catch flies, and climbing into flower pots. Now they moved as one, tightly packed together. Just after lunch they decided to leave. We followed them out to the lane, over the weir and down to the marina, stopping cars for them and trying to keep them safe. I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief – they had left of their own accord and maybe they would find their mother. We watched them happily swimming on the water and then returned home. Two hours later they back by the pond, but only seven this time. They continued to eat, swim, groom and sleep for the next few hours. When they slept they huddled together in the impression left by their mother’s body. The next morning there were none.
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