February07
Thursday, 8th February 2007
SNOW is the order of the day!
Long predicted by the weather forecasters it arrived as promised, although
so far we've had not much more than a sprinkling rather than the predicted
2 - 6 inches. But the day is young .......... I took this photo at about
quarter past eight:
You can see the big stick I've used to smash 
at least some of the ice for the ducks. I did try one of the larger branches
from the back of the pond so as to reach the thick ice in the middle,
but had to give up as it was too heavy to lift and whack!
Had to smile as one of the ducks obviously had come out onto the ice,
done a quick circuit and gone back in, see below:
It's been a very cold week. I've had to fill the water buckets in the
kitchen every morning and break up the ice on the ponds so the ducks had
water to land in when flying out from the huts. I remember the first time
they encountered ice and skidded and crashed horribly on it. I know I
laughed at the time, but I don't want them to injure themselves and I
always break the ice first now before letting them out. Yesterday was
the coldest morning and the layer of ice was more than a centimeter thick.
On the much smaller top pond it had frozen solid again by their bed time,
and I noticed the 9 had walked around the edge of the frozen pond to get
to their hut.
I went out into the garden again after four today. It had been snowing
almost without interruption and looked a lot whiter than this morning:
There was a snowdrift in the bottom hut as the wind had been blowing in
that direction.
When
I came back from putting in dry bedding I saw the wide path the ducks
had been beating from one hut [and food container] to the other, right
across the bottom edge of the wild flower patch here on the left, then
turning right and up towards the greenhouses. You can see what busy traffic
there has been with ducky footprints and just a few prints of my boots.
Friday, 9th February 2007
It was easier this morning in some ways as there was just a thin layer
of slushy ice on the ponds, but a bit tricky in another way as I had young
Alfie with me [Carl, Val, Emm and Sarah's dog - we're looking after him
while they're on their snow holiday in Germany]. I had him on his lead
and made him sit and stay when I let the ducks out. Alfie has grown a
bit since I first met him on 9th October and introduced him to these pages.
Here are two pictures of him in the same spot then and now:
It's snowing again this afternoon, and if the weather forecast is right
again we shall be unable to drive to a work's reunion dinner tonight.
I just took a photo from our upstairs window, and it looks as if the ducks
have almost dissolved that big patch of slush from the middle of the pond:
All
17 are VERY keen to be in the water these days, diving and splashing and
showing off - it looks as if the mating season has begun, and I'm really
glad that we have plenty of "girls" now.
Something else has had a new beginning: eggs in the top hut. There hadn't been any since around Christmas, but we've had 1 there each day since 7th February, my niece Brigitte's birthday. The egg-laying in the bottom hut has picked up again, too. We're back to 4 a day on average. The Campbells haven't stopped laying at all, they've amazed me when I'd thought the runners were brilliant layers - the least we've had were 2 a day.
To finish today a photo I took a few days ago, pre snow, of the female
great woodpecker that visits the birch hung with food quite often. It's
a bit hazy as I took it through the window, but I'm glad I caught it:
Sunday, 11th February 2007
Well, the glorious snow has gone, and even yesterday's horrible slush
has vanished. The ducks are happily mudpuddling again:
Alfie
disgraced himself twice today, being disobedient and not coming back when
called, and chasing some of the ducks into the pond. He got a smacked
bottom the first time, but the second time he came at last when called
and got praise. He's only young and he'll learn. And I've learned my lesson
that I can't let him run free in the garden just yet, and I'm trying to
teach him to walk to heel while on the lead ............. tricky!
In the fields, hedge and ditch he has a great time getting up pheasants
and sniffing out rabbits. Here he is galloping back from a splash in the
ditch: you can just see the ducks in the background getting ready to plunge
into the pond again.
Sunday, 18th February 2007 Niece Uschi's birthday
I've been trying for ages to catch the top 9 motoring down to the duck
pond first thing in the morning, and I only got the first 5 [on the right]
as I wanted them. They usually go wonderfully lined up, but the four on
the left are lagging behind with Florrie [arrow pointing] flapping her
wings frantically to catch up with the leaders. It was Primmie leading
in this case, above right. Rellchen, who always looks as if she is top
heavy, is second, then Circle [who still stops in the bottom hut overnight
now and again], Sweetie and Decibel.
Monday, 19th February 2007
Harlequin has returned to the conservatory as our little visitor Alfie
has gone back with his family, here's a farewell picture,
and the ducks can range free again. I meant to note a few days ago that
they've been coming back to the puddle in front of the garage and the
frog pond, but I could only come up with dozens of fuzzy pictures like
these:
- until Carl pointed out yesterday on his return that I had set the camera
to manual focus while in autofocus mode.
Will I ever get a grip?
John did a great winter-digging job on one of the vegetable beds this
morning. The ducks homed in on it straight away:
When I got closer with the camera the first 6, Donald [just his tail
visible], Blob, Primmie, Captain, Clarence and Florrie from the right,
were immediately on their way down to the gate in the fence:
Yes, as I said, the ducks do return to the frog pond on a regular
basis now, which leaves no hope for frogs and their spawn, methinks.
To finish today another picture [top right in the larger photo] of one of the 2 woodpeckers - a male and a female - who visit the birch with the fat balls several times a day now. There is just one duck barely visible bottom left!
Saturday, 24th February 2007 Harlequin's 16th birthday
Do you remember this photo from last September when Harley was being
chased by a gang of ducks? 
Poor girl has had her hunting trips through the garden interrupted somewhat
and keeps out of the ducks' way now. In honour of her birthday today [no,
no birthday cake or candle, but she did get an extra food portion at teatime]
I tried to take a nice photo of her. But she wouldn't pose. I mean, she
comes along with us when we go for a walk in the field, just like a dog,
but she wouldn't sit never mind how often I told her to. But she's striding
out
nicely here on the left, and we think she does very well for a 'lady of
advancing years'.
Talking about ducks chasing - I couldn't get photos to show you, so I'll just have to tell you about it. Primmie and Rellchen, sometimes joined by Decibel [our three youngsters] really have it in for other birds, those smaller than they are, anyway. They persistently chase away pidgeons, jackdaws and blackbirds, and the other day I saw them pursue a poor little chaffinch, again and again right into the orchard until he finally gave up and went into the hedge. Primmie, the cinnamon coloured one, continues to delight me. This morning she was leading the troup of 9 at such speed that she looked to be on hotwheels, she's a cracking little upright runner.
What else is new? Well, the birds' mating season is definitely upon us. I've seen the drakes getting very keen, and pairs of mallards have been visiting the duck pond on several days. Blackbirds have been looking for nest sites along the sheltered side of the garage, and this morning I watched 3 starlings at once picking up beaksful of duck feathers below the frog pond near the house. Feathering their nests already!
The pheasants don't seem quite as plentiful now - maybe the recent shooting in the fields next door had something to do with it. I used to scare more than a dozen when going down to the duck pond in the mornings, and Alfie got up 19 one afternoon walk along the brook in the field next to ours, now it's just 2 or 3 that wait for me to put down the ducks' food container.