January05
Monday, 3rd
I've been pleased to see how well and sleek our ducks are looking, quite a change from when they were moulting. They look well muscled and there's a lovely sheen to their feathers. We must be doing something right!
Something else I've only noticed recently is that Valentino also has a black spot at the tip of his beak. Good job that, in contrast to Rudolpho, he also has a mark at the back of his head, so we can distinguish between them from behind. And Valentino's beak is still more orange in colour.
I do think we'll have to get another duck or two soon. It's not fair on Gertie being the only one to the two drakes. I shall look on the net.
Wednesday, 5th
We located two fawn and white runner ducks for sale in the Nottingham area, and we're going to collect them tomorrow, Thursday.
I'm very excited, and eager to see how they'll get on with our three. Hope there's no jealousy between them and Gertie. Come to think of it, Pearl and Gertie always got on well together. I only ever saw them fight once.
This is the first event I can really look forward to since Helmut died. Only it's such a shame I can't tell him all about it.
Thursday, 6th, Epiphany
Well, we collected them. Finding the place was easy, the instructions had been good, and the journey took less than 40 minutes. The place was amazing. Thousands of ducks, geese, swans, chickens, pidgeons and I don't know what else, most of them very unusual and of kinds we had never seen before.
The owner had already put our two ready into a holding cage, we carried them to the cardboard box in the car and drove home, where we arrived before half past 11. Eppi and Fanny (John picked the names straight away, because of today's date) were very quiet in the back - when we fetched our previous 4 there had been quite a bit of chattering.
I had had visions of releasing the two near the pond and they would immediately join our three and be friends; spend a happy day together and show ours how to go to bed at dusk - we were told that Eppi and Fanny are used to going into their hut BY THEMSELVES, without being chased or coerced!
It didn't go like that. John let them out of the box: 
... and they immediately hot-footed it through the trapeze beds to the top of the garden and into Gladys's. In case you've missed them on the picture below I've inserted a little cut-out underneath:
So I made my way to the road and into Gladys's garden where I eventually caught Fanny and threw her over the hedge into our chicken run, where John eventually managed to catch her and put her into the duck hut. I couldn't catch Eppi, but she dived back under the hedge into our garden. By the time I came back round she had gone into the garden next to Gladys', and after quite a chase John cornered her and brought her into the duck hut as well, where the two of them squashed themselves into the furthest corner, terrified.
Our three kept going down to the hut to investigate, but Eppi and Fanny have not come out yet.
Friday, 7th Now we have five
John says last night was the easiest going-to-bed-time ever. Eppi and Fanny were still in the hut, and the other three went in by themselves without him having to clap or splash water or throw things at them, and they didn't go back into the water even once, which they had been in the habit of doing several times recently.
This morning our three "old" ones came out first with Gertie doing her little flight as ever. The two new ones followed the others at a short distance, straight into the pond. When it came to getting out after the first swim, though, Eppi and Fanny had great trouble climbing out - they're not as big and strong as the other three.
Throughout the day we saw sometimes all 5 together, but mostly a split of 2 and 3 and later 1 and 4. Now and again one of our older ducks would have a go at one or other of the new ones, both in the water and out, but from the distance of the house I couldn't see who was attacking whom.
After I cleaned the duck hut this afternoon I had a closer look. It turned out that Fanny had joined the others, and even though she was making submissive movements Gertie was pecking her neck frequently; whereas Eppi was on the edge of the pond nearly all the time:
And having looked closely I am now fairly convinced that Eppi is a boy - there is no curly tail feather, but the dark head markings seem to indicate it. This is probably why our drakes have been having a go at him.
We shall have to contact the seller and see what we can do about it. We don't really want another drake.
Both John and I went down to shut all 5 up tonight, earlier than usual as it had been such a dark day, and against expectations it was quickly done.
P.S. The seller returned our call and assured us that Eppi is a girl. He says we can have his estate if he's wrong!
Sunday, 9th
3 days on and Fanny seems totally integrated. She looks like Gertie, just a little smaller. Eppi, whether boy or girl, and although with the other 4 most of the time, tends to be a little on the sidelines. It's lovely though to see them all together in a group:
Yesterday early afternoon the sun came out and I quickly went to take
a few pictures. This one 
I liked so much I put a smaller version into the Navbar, the opening sequence of these duck diaries. In both pictures our two new ones are furthest away from the camera, Eppi at the very back.
Wednesday, 12th
On Monday afternoon I had a little panic when I couldn't see the ducks on their pond or anywhere in the garden for a while. Then it clicked: yes, there they were, all 5 in the frog pond! By the time I had got the camera ready and the window open, though, they had run back to the duck pond. I haven't seen them there again, unfortunately.
"Bedtime" tonight was the easiest ever so far. Until tonight the two new ones had had trouble with the little ramp leading up to the hatch of the duck hut, Eppi more so than Fanny. But tonight I herded them all from this side of the wildflower patch right across to the hut, Eppi was the second in and Gertie the last. She hung around a few moments looking lost - having been used to going back into the pond a couple of times before finally agreeing to go to bed!
Friday, 14th
The two new ones have been with us for a week now, and although I can't say they're totally together with our first three - keeping at a little distance as far as we're concerned; they're not used yet to picking the worms off our forks and trowels! - they have certainly found their place within the pecking order.
This morning I saw all 5 having the usual mad splash about, but by the time John got down to the pond with the camera they had stopped, and one or two had gone to sleep on the water, he said. He took the photo on the right:
The mad splashing looks something like this:
Friday, 21st
Last Saturday the pond was frozen, for the first time since we've had the 5 ducks. But the ice wasn't as thick as the last time, and before I let them out I broke the ice all around the edge with a thick stick. In the middle of the pond it was more like slush.
The funny thing was that our older three stopped at the edge of the pond when they saw the ice, but Fanny flew straight into the middle. The others followed then.
Yes, our two new ones can fly a bit, as well!
After two weeks our 5 are nearly always together. If you do see one standing on its own you can bet it's Eppi. Once I saw a split of 2 and 3 - the two drakes in the water and the 3 "girls" on the shore. I've not seen any more fighting, though.
Wednesday, 26th
What a pleasure it is getting the ducks in at night these days. They practically go in by themselves, our two new ones always first in line - what a good addition they've been!
Don't know what it is about Saturdays, but the pond was frozen yet again on the 22nd, fairly thinly. I let the ducks out before breaking any ice, and the three older ones just stood there before walking round the pond to their favourite spot. Fanny and Eppi, however, went straight in and ploughed a path through the middle like little icebreakers, trying to get to the others who'd walked around by then. I was getting rather worried in case they got trapped under the ice, because they had great difficulty first in reaching the opposite side, and then to get out on the slippery edge.
It couldn't have troubled Fanny too much, though, because as soon as I had smashed the ice on about a third of the pond she was back in, keeping just to that third, and the others followed soon.
