March09
Tuesday, 3rd Mary Miller's birthday - sorry I missed Charlotte's yesterday!
After a very busy week and weekend it's high time I reported on the ducks.
On the "Spring Feelings" front I'm pleased to say that I've not noticed any injuries, but the rivalries have intensified during the last week. I had hoped that the two groups would stay together but that was vain. I could see that the top group did not go down to the duck pond any more and that they have established their headquarters at the frog pond. As soon as these 7 come anywhere near the opening in the E-fence Captain comes shooting out and attacks them. On the other hand, if Captain and his girls venture near the frog pond he gets attacked and one of his girls - usually Hedda as she's the slowest - get raped. Result: the two groups stay apart nearly all the time. The plan was to avoid a separation this year, but if I see any injuries I shall have to keep the fence shut between them again.
While all 11 were still roaming around together [apart from Hedda who
usually stayed at the duck pond] I was pleased to see that they could
act in unison and scare off one of the cats from next door. Having been
alerted by the typical "cat alarm" noises - usually first raised
by Primmie as on this photo from last Spring [Primmie with arrow]:
I could see that they were advancing slowly towards the ditch
and there was the cat, taking notice now:
In the photo on the right, above, I've set an arrow to point out the tail of the disappearing cat - success!
The larger group now appear to feel very much at home in and around the
frog pond [any frog spawn will no doubt be laid in the fish pond at the
top which has always been duck-free]. Yesterday I saw them all fast asleep
and shot a picture through the conservatory window so as not to disturb
them:
Can't put one across Primmie, though, she spotted me right away. So I
opened the door and took another, clearer shot, and now Decibels next
to Primmie has deigned to open an eye as well, and Fanny at the back has
perked up:
So I decided to let sleeping ducks lie ....
Sunday, 8th March 2009 - Happy Birthday to Julia Newman!
For a whole week there has been a fault with madasafish and the March entries have not been uploaded to my web site. So if you've been looking and seen nothing in March IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! They say they've sorted the problem now ... we shall see.
I've not taken any more photos of the ducks but the distinct separation of 4 and 7 continues. The frog pond is now clear of any greenery, and unfortunately some frogs have been caught as well, I don't know how to stop that. Two days ago I saw Primmie struggling to swallow a sizeable frog. By the time I saw it was too late for the poor frog. Primmie successfully fought off all comers who tried to "help" her. This morning I saw her with another one, again keeping it all to herself. And this afternoon I saw Circle with a huge frog, repeatedly dunking it into the puddle in front of the garage until Primmie took it off her. Don't know what happened to the poor creature in the end.
Tuesday, 10th March 2009
More misery for the frogs. Leaning out of the window this afternoon while
trying to take a couple of photos for these diaries I saw Primmie with
yet another frog:
I'd only just taken this shot when Primmie dropped the frog and shot off
to chase one of the neighbour's cats away. Funnily enough, when I looked
at the photos, I could see that I'd got the cat on, can you see it here
on the left?
Mission accomplished Primmie turned her attention back to the poor frog
while the others either looked to see where the cat had gone or went digging
for slugs.
It really was a big frog:
Wednesday, 11th March 2009
No, I don't think she managed to swallow that one because I saw a dead frog of that size lying under the bird food birch this morning, poor chap.
I had a very pleasant surprise first thing, though. Collecting the eggs and expecting 2 in each hut - as has been the norm recently - there were 3 more in the nest box at the top. So all 5 in that hut had laid for the first time this year, and if Anabelle had laid in the bottom hut we would have had the full complement of 8. I think it was Anabelle's egg that was eaten a couple of days ago, and it might have put her off laying since. Looks like there are some rivalries between the girls.
Sunday, 15th March 2009 Mutters Geburtstag
Big event this weekend: ye annual draining of the big pond! It really was high time considering how green the water was with algae bubbles on the top. John had managed to get my old pump with big hose going again, and the water drained wonderfully fast:
Our 4 local ducks were not at all keen on seeing their beloved pond being emptied. It looks as if they're having a discussion in the picture on the right as to whether they should go on strike and refuse to leave the water.
The pump worked very efficiently until we got to the nasty level with gunge and leaves and sticks, and even cleaning the filter several times proved fruitless in the end and it was back to half filling wheel barrows and carting them off to John's runner bean patch.
It was a beautiful, sunny day, the buzzards circling overhead with their typical cries, and I actually managed to snap one and also the crows mobbing it:
Something I didn't manage to capture on camera, because it happened so suddenly, was a strike by a sparrowhawk. The 4 ducks had been rooting around our conifer corner when all of a sudden they belted away from there in a great panic, and I saw the hawk dive under the cedar and then fly out and away the other side. Whether it had got anything I couldn't see.
At the end of the first evening things looked like this. Captain and the three girls had given up trying to swim in the gloopy water and it was easy to get them "to bed".
As today was Sunday I only had two sessions at wheelbarrowing the muck out. When I went down in the morning all four were lined up on the edge - behind the wheelbarrow - looking very sad. The photo on the right shows how I left things tonight. The reeds within the mesh enclosure are looking all dried up, but I'm sure they'll soon be lush and tall - just like they were in the little pond last year from similar beginnings.
Monday, 16th March 2009
A keen start this morning, as I was hoping to finish mucking out about mid-morning. Pustekuchen! It was nearly half past one when I wheeled the last barrow out. John had been out all morning and got lunch for us, great!
It had been tough, I must admit, pushing the barrow uphill and trying not to slop too much on myself. I didn't succeed, of course, proper swamp monster I was.
3 of the residents were waiting patiently for me to finish, cuddled up
like this:
Anabelle had been here there and everywhere because of the promise of worms, ever since I'd been digging up some plants from the bog garden, and she keeps herself a little apart anyway.
Before I went in for lunch I turned the hose on - at last! Coming back out after I wondered how long it would be before the ducks dared go in. It wasn't long. Hedda was trying to have a good wash in the bowl, trying to dip in with the kind of snake movement they have. "Blow this", she must have thought, "I'm going in for a bath" .......... and did, followed immediately by the other three:
They were splashing and shaking like nobody's business - 1st bath in three days, they needed it! There were in and out of the filling pond like yoyos all afternoon. When they get out in the morning they'll have a lovely surprise as the pond will be full again.
The 7 who hang around the frog pond these days still appear to be barred from Captain's territory. They'd been watching through the fence several times to work out what I was up to. Finally, shortly before lunch, they could stand it no longer and came running down towards the pond like they used to. They were repelled immediately by Captain who also tried to take the opportunity to grab Circle [again!]. I chased him off, the invaders left, and all was peace once more.
Well, I can't say that it was an easy operation. It was fine while the pump was emptying the water fast, but barrowing all that muck uphill was tough. I must have overdone it on Saturday as I got screaming cramp in both legs that night. No such horror last night, and I'll take precautionary salt tonight.
What amazed us most was the number of frogs we found as the pond emptied, dozens and dozens of them, bucketload after bucketload we carried to the fish pond or into the ditch [full of water]. No end of them were in a very tight embrace and didn't let go even when they were poured into the ditch. There'll be no shortage of spawn and taddies after all - maybe we shall have to rename the duck pond "frog pond", especially if Primmie continues with her murdering-frogs spree.
Wednesday, 18th March 2009
No, the pond was NOT full yesterday morning [it took until 16.30!], but the residents whooshed into it with a great YIPPEEEH:
It's lovely to see how they're enjoying clean water - we'll see how long the "clean" lasts!
As regards the other 7, they've widened their circle of exploration and are scouring the front "lawn" for slugs again - and finding plenty. Also, I'm sorry to say, Primmie continues to find frogs for breakfast. I saw her gulping one down this morning. But there's hope, there are those hundred or so we found in the slime at the bottom of the duck pond and there's no end of spawn at the edge of the frog pond. I'll report further!
Friday, 20th March 2009
I was woken up before 6 this morning by loud quacking. Because it went on for a while I thought I'd better go to the window in case "someone" was trying to break into the duck hut - or something - . It was too dark to see anything, but the sound was too far away to come from the duck hut behind the garage.
Went back to sleep, and later, when I was getting dressed, saw a mallard
duck waddling towards the bird bath, so she had been the noisy one! By
the time I had the camera out she had turned and was heading back towards
the duck pond, ignoring the pheasant:
This pheasant and another it was fighting with, by the way, came under attack from the neighbour's cat as John saw from the conservatory. He could also see that the cat had drawn the short straw, one of the pheasants had flown up at it and made it run off. I could only see the cat running back to the duck pond and clambering over the logs there - causing panic with the 2 moorhens that were sussing the nesting possibilities ........... I've noticed the first steps in making a nest in the middle already. No netting this year. If they're so determined to nest they can get on with it, the reeds always survive and at least there's no danger of the little baby moorhens getting caught in the netting.
When I went down to the duck pond to fill the water buckets there was Miss Mallard in company of a large mallard drake standing at the edge of the pond - they took off straight away.
Looking into the nest box I was amazed to find 4 eggs there; I'm sure
I'd removed everything that was there yesterday, so maybe Anabelle went
back into the hut later to lay. These two of hers were full size, unlike
the titchy green one she'd laid on St.Patrick's Day:
It really was no longer than 1½ inches, the smallest egg we ever had. There had been one almost as small last year, a white one, and that had no yolk!
That was the first egg Anabelle had layed since two of her eggs had been eaten in the hut - I suspect rivalries between the ducks. But as Hedda's big white egg never gets damaged I'm sure she's the dominant one.
I also got 4 eggs in the top hut. Saw Rellchen going off frequently and investigating under various bushes while making egg-laying noises, but I didn't find her egg.
Because our seven "top" ducks have not featured much lately I'll put in these three photos of them foraging among the daffodils behind the house yesterday and snoozing their elevenses this morning:
Yes, there are 7, count them!
Thursday, 26th March 2009
The pair of mallards continue to visit the duck pond in the early mornings. It must drive the 4 in the hut down there mad because they can hear [and see through the grille] them but can't do anything about it. By the time I go down with the food the mallards have gone - but then the pheasants and waterhens turn up.
Exciting developments for Blob; he's got a second tail curl:
I checked up on Spring photos from last year, and he definitely had just the one:
Unfortunately for Blob is has made no difference whatsoever in his relationship with BBD, Big Boy Donald [although he is physically smaller than Blob], he still plays second fiddle and is not allowed to do any mating while BBD is in the area.
After the big pond clean-up John and I re-positioned the electric fence.
It took the drakes a day of frantic searching to suss where the opening
had moved to. I haven't taken photos of it yet, but it is roughly where
Captain is pictured through the netting in this photo from last year:
Sunday, 29th March 2009
Well, I've had to shut Captain in again just like in the photo above. I noticed yesterday that Circle was shaking her head again like she did last year when her eye had been injured. As the 7 have not dared go into that large enclosure for weeks anyway it won't make much difference except giving Circle (and others) a rest for some days. There was an improvement with her already today; I didn't see her shaking much. And Captain found other entertainment this morning: he was chasing the mallard duck who quacked a right racket while her feller was just standing by the duck pond.
The duck pond, by the way, is a pityful sight again, very green. Oh dear.
Having just come upstairs to write an entry I could see that 6 of the 7 were going off to get some food, but Rellchen did not follow. She just sat by the duck pond, even sleeping, for a good 20 minutes until the others returned and all went into the frog pond (we still have loads of spawn, by the way, in ALL the ponds). I always worry when one of them absents herself, but Rellchen didn't show any signs of distress. She was probably just tired.
I've put an arrow to point her out, and also inserted a small close up of her popping her head up.
Here she is again, bottom right, fast asleep.
In the meantime I just caught Primmie at the food station, and on the right you can see a long distance shot to the big green duck pond where 4 are still playing happily.