Wednesday, 30th

Last day of June and I'd better put a few photos in even though I don't have much time to write. It's been extremely hot and sunny weather [with rain on just one night] since my last entry.

Rellchen seems a little quicker on her legs and not quite as fat below, we can only hope that she improves further. Both the limping cock pheasant and the limping mallard lady continue to visit and pinch food as they can, and both are better on their legs.

There's been another nest on the "island" in the duck pond but it's empty now. We can hear 'plops' into the water as we approach but have not seen the chicks. Neighbour's cats have been let out again in the daytime - our ducks and adult waterhens have been doing a lot of protesting.

Saturday, 19th

We had rain yesterday, quite a lot of it, and we spent most of the day inside the house. But I did take a few photos of the ducks from the upstairs window.

Before this last shot was taken I saw Anabelle coming up all by herself, I love this photo:

She was in the vanguard for a food visit and obviously hungry, but she did take the time to have a quick chase of this mallard pair:

It is definitely open season for chasing mallards, during this food box visit all four had a go at chasing this persistent pair.

But don't think that they're having it all their own way, I've seen the plucky mallard drakes chase our drakes very successfully!

All the drakes, including the mallards, are looking very ragged at the moment in their moult, none worse though than Captain - in this shot he's just returning from a raid on the 7:

I've just remembered that I mentioned one of the mallard ladies limping heavily. I hadn't seen her for a day but she was back yesterday, here she is on the very right of the picture:

Poor girl, in spite of - or because of - her impediment she was being viciously attacked by one of the drakes, he yanked her nastily round her neck and breast. Rough birds!

I've done the spirals and pompom tree again, by the way, took me two days, looking nice though I think:

I've also massacred what was the golden privet ball [if it was still there it would hide that black car]. I had such trouble clipping it on top, even going all round with the steps, that I've reduced it by three quarters ..... it'll grow again!

Thursday, 17th Happy Birthday to Susi!

I've had very helpful information regarding Rellchen's condition from Chris Ashton of the IRDA. No, it's not good, but at least I understand what the trouble is now.

A reader of the IRDA Newsletters described exactly the same problem with one of his ducks: "Our 6 year old duck, Edwina, has been steadily getting fatter over the last 3 to 4 weeks to the point that she now struggles to run, and waddles with a wide gait and has fallen over on occasion when trying to get into her house. Her stomach is quite hard and bulbous ......."

Chris's answer was not encouraging: "Veterinary handbooks do say that an egg can be laid 'internally' - that the ova (yolk) misses the infundibulum and is deposited in the body cavity. The yolk can be resorbed by the body's defences, but if this keeps happening, or infection sets in, then the bird will die. This kind of condition does seem to affect Runner females more frequently than 'flat' ducks. The Klakis lay forever and seem fine. Maybe the vertical stance of the Runner does not help. Some types are more prone to it than others. ......"

I shall keep a close eye on Rellchen, of course. While she feeds and drinks and swims and keeps up largely with the others I won't have her put down.

Tuesday, 15th

Yes Gerd, you're right, I'm way behind with these diaries again, very sorry. I'll try and catch up.

The boys have started their summer moult, Captain is worst affected, he looks a bit like a badly plucked chicken.

Since the two groups separated and the bottom lot were fenced in I've had to put the food container down there again. Well, slowly and gradually the numbers of food thieves have increased again, not the pheasants so much now, but the wild duck population has got word. A couple of evenings ago whole flocks of mallards flew up as I approached, I counted 12 flying off along the field and 5 more at right angles towards the brook. Yesterday late afternoon 10 flew up, and all through the day there nearly always are 5 or more waiting patiently in the field within the duck enclosure for their opportunity to pinch some grains. And this pair ...
... seems to be living here now. I snapped this photo at half past six on Saturday morning, but they can be seen all around at various times.

So, because Captain and his 3 girls were forever running out of food because of the thieves, and also because I thought the drakes' hormone levels must have come down a few shades by now because of the moult, I decided to leave their enclosure open and entice these four up to the house again for their breakfast by rattling the food container in front of them. I got them as far as the edge of the orchard, but then they went back to home ground - worrying, no doubt, about imminent attack from BBD and Blob. I hadn't let the 7 out yet in order to let the 4 feed in peace, and pretty soon Captain and 3 came back, and by waving some freshly cooked spaghetti in front of them they came right up to the conservatory and the food tray.

The morning is almost gone and I haven't seen Captain and 3 up here again. BUT, there was a big commotion outside just now, and from the window upstairs I could see that the mallards had had no problem in finding out where "their" food was now, I counted about 9 altogether, and there were more drakes than just these four:

and the girl of this couple was limping heavily:

This pair were at the same place where I snapped them on Saturday, quite unperturbed until the chasing started.

It was pandemonium, everybody chasing everyone else:

It's still Tuesday 15th, but evening now. Captain and his girls have been up to the food container several times during the afternoon and Blob and BBD have been keeping a great number of mallards away from it - it's working well so far.

I'm still watching Rellchen a lot and I tried to take some photos of her "full frontal" to show to experts to see if they can determine why she looks so heavy in the abdomen. She wouldn't pose; since I've been capturing Circle out of the hut for her eye treatment none in this group will let me anywhere near them. Rellchen looks very frightened in this shot:

But she calms down once she's with the others. Her abdomen looks gross compared with Circle's in this photo, yet she doesn't show any signs of distress - apart from when I get too close to her!

Thursday, 3rd

As it's the first Thursday of the month we're about to set off for our monthly "walk" with friends, but I just wanted to update these diaries.

The weather is back to glorious after Saturday's welcome rain and the garden is luxurious with abundant growth and blossom, one wave after another. Both groups of ducks are well and follow their individual routines in foraging and sleeping. I've not seen Captain escape lately, but then he's being kept extremely busy with the constant presence of mallards, 7 on average. There don't seem to be so many pheasants and waterhens down there now.

The only duck giving me a bit of concern at the moment is Rellchen. She's always been too long in the body for her legs and has walked awkwardly, resting much more often than the others. Just lately. though, her stance is more broad-legged than usual and her body almost dragging on the ground - you'd call it draught if she were a ship. Even allowing for the normal lower-to-the-ground-with-eggs abdomen of the ducks this time of year it seems worse in Rellchen. I'll have to try and take a little video of her, these two photos don't show it very well [she's on her own on the very right]: