July08

Saturday, 12th

Ok, guilty as charged. I thought it was just a few days since I last wrote, but it turns out it was almost a fortnight. I shall have to give these diaries up if I can't cope.

Trying to remember now what's been happening........ I mentioned the second hatch of the waterhen babies last, and one evening a couple of days later we watched 5 little ones leave the nest one after the other and swim across to the logs. Well, not quite the bonanza of last year when first 5 and then 8 hatched, but 3 and 5 is not bad, either. One morning, going down to let out the ducks, I saw the whole family of them in the field behind the duck hut, mummy and daddy, 3 pale teenagers and 5 fluffy black diddy things at the rear scurrying towards the fence and the ditch, a lovely sight.

I remember the week just gone as mainly wet and windy, VERY wet and windy. Last Sunday it came down so strong at times that the ducks were scurrying for cover! At first they tried the damson:

But that obviously didn't offer enough protection, as they came across towards the garage with their heads pulled in right between their shoulders and tried to creep under the climbing hydrangea - at least the girls tried, the boys standing manfully outside toughing it out.

Other than the mainly wet weather there's not much else to write about. The rats have made an appearance again and we've moved the food container outside of the enclosure and nearer the house. I've not seen them the last three days, but that doesn't mean they're not there.

Other vermin: haven't SEEN any foxes, but lots of droppings along the edge of the fields, and on Monday morning I got a shock to see the amount of droppings between garage and house and all over the front lawn, big and little stuff. It looked as if the whole fox family had been visiting early that morning and brought aunts and uncles too!

I've been doing quite a bit of "ducky" painting; have sent a couple to friends in Germany and the next few are due to be auctioned off in the duck forum for a good 'animal protection' cause.

Wednesday, 16th July 2008

Don't know if I mentioned it, but for some time I've been hoping to get our two duck groups together again, the drakes not being quite as "forceful" as they were earlier in the year. So on Sunday, when John and I went for a walk around the "estate", I left the two gates into the field open in the hope that the two lots would follow and meet on neutral ground, so to speak. Neither group followed ...

On Monday we went to do some more re-grown jungle clearing and again left the gates open. And yes, pretty soon they came into the field, first the five, then the seven. There were a few skirmishes between them but no harm was done - and no joining together, either. I'd forgotten my camera, but yesterday we did the same and at least I got shots of the 5 coming out:

The seven came soon after but didn't stay long - avoiding trouble, I expect.

Funny thing happened later in the afternoon after tea time. I heard lots of noise from the direction of the duck pond, and when I went to investigate there was Big Boy Donald trying like mad to get OUT of the enclosure. John had closed the gate without realizing that he was in there.

Today John was out all day and I didn't go into the field, but I left the E-fence open in the hope that the seven would join the five in the big pond again, but no such luck. I suppose they're not ready yet; it took ages last year as well.

To finish for today a nice picture of the 7 during their lunch break. Ok, I know it's only 6, but Circle re-joined them a couple of minutes later.

Friday, 18th July 2008

Weather is continuing to be yukky, but it's no problem really while we're busy digging out tree roots at the edge of the field to make mowing easier and burning excess growth of blackthorn and elder.

Had a bit of a scare on Wednesday night. I was just about to shut the ducks in for the night when I saw that Fanny was at the food trough with Big Boy Donald as her 'guard'. I waited until she'd finished, and when she turned I saw that her wing tips were bloody and there was a patch of red on her right side at the back.

John and I tried to catch her as she was the last to go up the ramp to the hut, but she was too quick. I eventually grabbed her near the gate and brought her into the conservatory in a towel. Having washed off all the blood and cut off a patch of feathers there seemed to be just a small "nick" in her skin, rather like it was with Donald last year [25th May]. I put on some antiseptic, also on the back of her head in the hope that it would discourage the boys from molesting her, and then we shoved her through the hatch into the hut, causing a commotion with the other six.

Fanny had felt so frail and skinny while I was holding her that I was afraid what I might find on opening up yesterday morning - but she flew out with the others and has since shown no sign whatsoever that she had an injury.

I thought she might have barged into the patch of brambles and caught a thorn while being chased, so yesterday I kept the electric fence closed all day to avoid any raids from Captain.

Today we did some more serious digging, brush cutting and burning out in the field and I left the gates open again...No problem with Fanny but Donald showed what an idiot he can be. From the distance of the length of the field I could see that he had gone into the 5's enclosure and got Anabelle pinned down for what seemed like 10 minutes. So I went to intervene in case he injured her. He and the 5 flew on to the duck pond and I went back to digging. Some time later I could see Donald working his way along the inside of the fence, up and down, up and down, but never as far down as the open gate where he'd started his raid.

When it was time to cook lunch I went and shut the gate - because we don't like the ducks in the field unattended [too much evidence of foxes, a pigeon had been killed at the back of our veg beds even, with fox poo right next to it] - but could not see Donald. I thought he'd found his way out again. But no, while eating dinner in the conservatory I could see him curled up asleep INSIDE the fence at a point nearest the other six of his group. I had to go and open the gate near the veg beds and chase him out or he wouldn't have got anything to eat all afternoon ........

Thursday, 24th July 2008

We undertook a bit of a rescue action this morning.

On first going down to the duck pond to let out the 5 there was the usual panic mass exodus by the waterhen family - except for one of the babies. It looked as if it had got its leg caught in the netting. When I'd finished seeing to the ducks it was still there, so I went to get John for help.

We went down with the extendable lopper, and after some fruitless efforts John managed to drag the netting off the basket of reeds with the baby still caught in it, but as he hauled the net closer the little leg [well, quite long legs for its size] came free and baby swam to the edge.

I could see it was exhausted and was sure it wouldn't make it up the slippery pond liner, so I scooped it up and tried to dry its sodden feathers. The poor little thing was so worn out from its efforts to free itself that it neither struggled nor peeped. I took a handful of duck food [after all, the little waterhens get brought up on it] and set the baby down on the far side of the fence at the back of the pond where the family always disappear. Then we left so the parents could feel safe to come back.

I must say I was VERY reluctant to go back later, worrying in case the little one had died where I'd put it. When I finally plucked up the courage I could see it move - slowly and limping a bit - and disappear into the branches at the back, what a relief!

That was the first time I saw one of the waterhens caught in the net. Well, as it didn't serve it's purpose of preventing the birds from nesting in my plants we took that net away and will remove the other one tomorrow.

Obviously I didn't have the camera with me during our rescue mission, but I've drawn the chick roughly in the place where it got caught.

Sunday, 27th July 2008

Coming back from Leah's birthday party last night to put the ducks to bed at about 20.30, I was met at the top gate by Anabelle asking me if I'd brought any food as there was none left and she was really, really hungry. Well, of course she didn't SAY that, but she was quite right: not a single grain was left in their food box. They must have had lots of "help" down there during the day as I'd given them plenty, and there is ALWAYS some left in both boxes at night.

So I went back to the garage and put a few handfuls into the box, and all 5 DIVED into it [well, Captain a little later than the girls, in proper drake fashion] as if they'd never been fed before.

They went to bed quite happily then - I'll have to check up on their supply today so we don't repeat the fiasco. The box of the seven contained the usual amount of leftovers, by the way.

To finish for today 3 photos - not ducky ones - of how much better the fields look now:

The dead tree in the picture on the right behind the wheel barrow will have to come down, yet, then the gang mower will be able to get up there as well. John can content himself with mowing the garden and the duck enclosure like in this picture:

Oh, I nearly forgot: I did manage to pull most of the netting off the other container, but also succeeded in tipping the container over by it. I thought I'd pushed it back upright yesterday but this morning it was well on its side and a couple of Campbells were sitting on it! I'll take a snap of it tomorrow.

Monday, 28th July 2008

Yes, I did remember to take some shots, but it was only Pinky sitting on top:

And what had Captain been up to with all those bubbles around him?

This is what the tipped over container looked like from further away: