March10

Sunday, 28th

I've put in a large photo to show how adventurous our feathered little pigs are getting, they make regular excursions into the big field, especially on wet days [of which we've had a lot lately].

This is Decibels the 3 boys have got pinned down.

She gets away, with the boys in hot pursuit.

It doesn't take long, though, before she's captured again. And if it's not her, then it's another they victimize. Note the casual attitude of the other ducks; either ignoring proceedings or carefully walking away, glad it's not them ...

A little while ago these two lovely friends in Germany
asked me quite "innocently" if I had any favourite duck photos. I didn't have much time to search but sent them one of our original 4 white Campbells and one that Carl took, Gertie's girl Gigi. On Friday I received a parcel with lots of delightful little Easter presents and this:

So that's what they wanted the photos for, I was so thrilled with my presents.

The pinnie I wore proudly when serving up Sunday dinner for 6 earlier today, and the mouse pad has been in use ever since its arrival!

These are Micha and Pine's 4 ducks, by the way, led by their drake Gustav:

Saturday, 20th

We've had the food containers positioned very near the house [where we can keep an eye on it from the conservatory] for quite a while now, and it's been brilliant. All the ducks and drakes have got used to it. When we've got a cover on it and they're hungry they create a racket until we take the cover off. With spending so much time in this area, and the two of us having got stuck into gardening big time, they seem to have taken courage and roam everywhere; they've even ventured into the big field lately.

Although Captain quite often leads his three girls to the food, and now and again I can see all 11 together in one pond or another, the polarization of the two groups is happening again. As long as there are no injuries I'm happy for it to carry on as it is.

The long-forecast rain duly arrived yesterday afternoon and today has been wet and dull. I don't mind because I transplanted lots and lots of bulbs and plants the last 3 days or so and they're now getting a good all over watering.

This is a photo of Captain and his 3 girls drinking and preening at the foot of the frog pond, taken early this afternoon when they'd just been to the food trough. They seemed to ignore the vigorous activities taken place just about where I've placed the arrow.

Until you see an
enlargement you might not have spotted any frogs in the photo above, but there were loads. I wonder how long the ducks will leave them in peace?

Another nice sight on this rainy day was this - it's so nice to see fishes again after we lost so many in the ice:

I had been wondering where the group of 7 were until I spotted them in the middle of the large field. By the time I had gone out there with the camera they were on their way back:

In the meantime, not to be outdone, the 4 had gone into the field as well:

I took three more photos of the group of 7 come running for some wheat and pellets. No, they didn't wash them down with the now muddy water in the bucket next to the food, they used their favourite puddle!

Tuesday, 16th

A lovely day today, our first big gardening day. John had very enthusiastic helpers:

Sunday, 14th, Mothering Sunday

Playing catch-up again I have lots to tell with lots of photos, so here goes.

The egg laying has continued, Hedda has joined in, but the girls in the top hut are still very much behind with just 1 egg in the mornings. But altogether we've had over two dozen so far and friend Graham has been delighted to receive his first dozen of those. Another thing that delighted us regarding eggs was that we were finally able to use one of the little treasures that Annie had put into our Christmas stockings, the BEEP EGG!

According to the legend on the box it would play 3 different tunes according to whether you wanted your egg soft, medium or hard boiled .................... and it worked! I had mine medium and heard a tune well known from my youth: "Ich wollt ich wär ein Huhn, ich hätt nicht viel zu tun ... = I wish I were a chicken, I wouldn't have much to do then ...

Food has certainly been the answer to my efforts to see more of the ducks around the house, or rather the positioning of it. Last Sunday all 11 came up from the big duck pond clamouring for their breakfast near the greenhouse:

But I'd placed the box and buckets much nearer the house where I could keep a better watch. They soon found it.







But before I put in more photos of the ducks making themselves at home around the house again I want to mention the nice surprise visitors on the very frosty morning of 7.3., two partridges. Until then, in two separate years, and on only 1 day each, we'd only ever seen one of them since we've lived here. I took photos through the windows as I didn't want to disturb them - both of them finished up on the garage roof, but I only got one of them on camera there:

Last Wednesday, on our return from the Luncheon Club, we were surprised to see our duckies having a great time in the frog pond. I didn't take a photo of them that day, but I did on Thursday, Friday and today, it looks as if the frog pond is their new headquarters now as they head for that first thing in the mornings. And not just the 7 from the top, the four from the bottom join in after their first splash in the big pond. I'm delighted to see them up close and all together, but the rivalries over mating have started and I can only hope there will be no injuries.

It's not just the frog pond they've re-conquered, I can see them spending a lot of time around the little pond behind the garage as well, quite a change from them spending all their time far away on the duck pond.

And the front "moss lawn" has been examined by them, too, unfortunately Primmie also found her first frog of the year [as far as I know it was the first].

Thursday, 4th

We've been on our monthly walk with the Moira Group today, and now it really is high time I started the March diaries. I've already missed putting in entries on 2.3. and on 27.2., so here are belated happy birthday wishes to Charlotte [17] and Emm [16] respectively - haven't they grown up fast!

The egg-laying season finally started on 1st March, with Candida and Anabelle each producing their first egg. There was another egg on the 2nd, none on the 3rd, and 2 again today. There has not been an egg from big Hedda so far, which is a bit worrying as she has been our very best layer, nor have the 5 girls in the top hut started yet - it has been a long winter, maybe that's it.

Keeping to a morning and an afternoon feed, and covering the food container up in between has worked rather well, the ducks come running when we call them or else they're already at the bottom of the greenhouse waiting to be served!

Yesterday afternoon I enticed our little lot near the frog pond in the hope that I'll see them around the house again, but no dice. They came alright when I called, gobbled half the pasta and ran off towards the greenhouse. I went upstairs and took some shots through the window when they returned for the second half of pasta:

As you can see at the very top left of this picture Hedda is the last to arrive.

They soon made short work of the pasta .....

....and quickly ran off back to their pond:

I'll just have to wait until they feel secure enough to come by themselves.

I asked John to take some photos of the ducks this afternoon so I could put them in here, and he came back with some lovely sunny-afternoon pictures like this one:

He also told me there'd been another massacre within the duck enclosure in the field: