May05

Sunday, 1st

What on earth is happening with our ducks. First Rudolpho damages his wing, and today I've seen that Eppi is limping. I can't always be watching, so I don't know how they hurt themselves.

Gertie is still puzzling us with her nesting habits. After my last entry on Tuesday 26th we had no more eggs from her for three days, just the two in the hut from the other "girls". Then yesterday she was back in the nest between the grasses for quite a while, didn't lay in it though. John found her egg a little later among the pebbles by the frog pond.

This morning she was very restless, dashing here, there and everywhere with Valentino in tow, into the grasses nest three times but without result, into the front garden, behind the greenhouses, into the field several times, but neither John nor I could find her egg anywhere. I have taken the marble egg out of the grasses nest again, doesn't look as if it's helping.

The waterhens continue to fascinate me. I don't think they've built a nest near to our house, even though we see them quite frequently at the edge of the frog~ or fish pond. But I saw something very new to me a couple of days ago: a waterhen picked up a length of reed grass (from the vast amount I took out from the frog pond and deposited behind the duck pond), must have nearly a foot long, and went with it under the fence, where the ducks go, into the big field. There it stopped a little while looking this way and that, and then took off and flew into the trees lining the ditch! I couldn't believe it at first, but then saw the same thing again, and again, five times! After the ducks came out I only saw it one more time.

This morning I had a look around in that area just on the other side of the fence from the duck pond, checking on how the blue bells and shrubs we planted last year are doing - and having a surreptitious look at the tree I had seen the waterhen fly into. And yes indeed, there was a nest! Fairly high up, about twice man-height. I thought moorhens were ground-nesting birds.

I didn't climb up to see if there was anything in it, or stay around long. Don't want to draw any attention to this nest. I do hope this pair have more success with their breeding than the one by the frog pond had last year.

Thursday, 5th, Election Day

I can't say that there's much improvement in our "sickies". Eppi spends a lot of time alone in the water or nursing her right foot, and she still limps when she's trying to catch up with the others.

Rudolpho's left wing still hangs down - although he can flap it up and down a little - but other than interfering with his running it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He's still cheeky, one of the first to come right under my feet when I'm weeding, and he still manages to mate. I daren't pick him up to investigate in case I hurt him or do him more damage. That's him on the right of this picture, Fanny behind him, Valentino preening in the middle, Gertie on the left and Eppi lying down behind. The day I took this photo we also had a first visit to the gate from the new beasts next door, you can see two of them in the middle picture. The ducks got rather worried when the young bulls got a little too close to them (there is a mound behind the fence on the other side of the puddle behind the duck pond, and it looks as if the beasts could come over the fence)

And the one below I took because it tickled me how the ducks were sleeping in V-formation. They spend quite a lot of time sleeping - understandable when you think how active they are. After running about here, there and everywhere they just dob down anywhere when they're tired.

I still can't work out the egg laying pattern. These last four days we've had three in the hut each morning.

And I haven't seen much of the waterhens the last few days. I'm hoping they're busy sitting on eggs!

Monday, 9th

I did see quite a bit of the waterhens this morning, as I was up early doing the ironing.
Spotted the first one at 10 past 6, with it's back against the stack of tree branches at the back of the pond, soaking up the early morning rays. I didn't believe my eyes at first as it was sitting so still, and had to use the binoculars. It never moved until ¼ to 7 when it went for a swim, worked its way all around the duck pond and finished up where I had seen it first.

Then, at 5 to 7, the smaller female appeared, and a sort of handover/takeover took place, just as I used to observe them at the frog pond last year. He disappeared into the ditch, she swam for a short time and then went looking for food.

Eppi's walking seemed a lot better yesterday, and she was almost back to normal today.

Tuesday, 10th

Saw a fox last night, quite a big one, rangy looking. Just as we were going to bed at ¼ to 11 the security light on the garage came on, and I saw it pass the other side of the twin-stemmed birch and disappear into the dark of the garden.

While weeding this afternoon I got a fright of a different nature. There was a big lump sticking out among the feathers on Rudolpho's back. I managed to get hold of him, and when we carefully felt this lump he didn't flinch. While I'd got him John also managed to cut off some of the, by now very ragged, trailing wing feathers. The wing didn't get caught between his legs after that when walking.

Speaking to the vet he thought the "lump" might be calloused growth over the damaged wing joint. We made an appointment for 4.30 tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday, 11th Helmut's Birthday. He would have been 80 today.

Rudolpho didn't seem all that good this morning. He was the last out of the hut, and his legs kept collapsing under him. He rallied though after a few moments and joined the others.

Then I got yet another fright. While getting ready to go out, just after 10, I heard the ducks making a racket. I looked and - was it a cat? No, it was a fox, slightly smaller and more handsome than the one on Monday night. It was having a drink at the bog garden end of the pond! All 5 ducks were in the water making lots of noise. John dashed out and chased the fox away. Rudo would have stood no chance if it had come across the ducks while they were in the field.

At the vet's the lump turned out to be a great big bruise. The vet drained it as much as he could, and because the wing had been warm to the touch he also injected antibiotics into Rudolpho's chest mustles.

Don't know if it was the aftereffects of this vet visit, but Rudolpho couldn't get back out of the duck pond after going for a swim on our return. I had to help him out. He felt very soggy - can't shake and flap his wings as he used to - and he kept collapsing as if his legs wouldn't carry him. The other four kept him company in the field just on the other side of the fence, here's a photo: he's the one standing a little wobbly on his legs. Don't know if you can spot the drained "lump" on this picture, where the arrow is pointing:

Rudo's due back at the vet's on Friday afternoon.

Thursday, 12th Sam's birthday

We've had to cancel the Friday appointment, Rudolpho died during the night.

When we went to put the ducks in last night only four were around the pond. Found Rudo still in the field, a little way up to the right from where you can see him in the picture above right. He felt very wet and cold. I dried him as much as I could with a towel and carried him into the hut. He couldn't get onto his feet, I had to push him into the corner. We thought the company and warmth of the others would help dry him out.

I worried all night thinking we'd find him dead in the morning, and so we did.

Tuesday, 17th

I suppose I'd better catch up with what's been happening - it's been a worrying time.

Last Friday 13th I spent most of the day in the garden. Towards evening I was planting 13 chrysanthemums which John had managed to overwinter behind the large greenhouse. The four remaining ducks were "under my feet" all the time until after 7 when they went off to the frog pond near the house. A little later I was aware of Valentino constantly calling and running in all directions. He had lost his "women", they were nowhere to be seen. He looked in the ditch, in the hut, in and around the duck pond, went into the field, into the vegetable patch, to the frog pond and back, calling all the time - but getting no answer. I was getting worried myself by then, packed up my gardening tools and went to the house. And there were the girls, Valentino had just found them, they had been in the frog pond all the time but not responded to his calls.

I thought it funny at the time, but with hindsight, knowing what happened later, I can see why Valentino was so concerned.

I looked out of the window at ¼ to 8 after my shower, and all four ducks were still on the frog pond. When we went to shut them in for the night there were only three on the pond. Eppi was missing. We looked for her in field, garden and ditch - no sign. I went back towards the house to see if she was still in the frog pond, and was met by our neighbour Peter and his two sons: they had lost a chicken and their prize cockerel; a trail of feathers led to a thicket of sticks and shrubs near the bottom of their garden where they had seen foxes disappear before.

We haven't found a single feather of Eppi's to this day, but must assume a fox carried her off. The remaining three were very difficult to get off the pond and into their hut; they were extremely frightened. I think they must have seen it all happening.

The following day we were due at a party at 7, and in order to have peace of mind we shut the ducks in before we went - only managed with the greatest difficulty after 20 minutes of trying.

On Sunday we had our supper in the conservatory in order to keep a look-out. Sure enough, at 8.30 I saw a fox coming up from behind where you can see the bullocks in the picture above, on 5th May, and where I'd also seen one at about 7 on Thursday. When John and I shot out it disappeared in the thicket on the other side of the stile. John spent a long time looking, armed with some stones, but didn't see it again.

We're jittery all the time now. We know there are several foxes about, and very close by, and we've seen them at various times of the day and evening. Last night, about half past 6, Peter and his elder son Thomas came around. They had just seen two adult and two young foxes on the far side of the thicket where we had seen the Sunday night fox disappear. Everybody went off to investigate further, but the thickets are so large and wide spread that hidey holes for foxes must be endless in number. John and I took turns to "stand watch" from the conservatory until we could go and shut the ducks in.

When we lost Eppi I was so upset, on top of losing "cheeky boy" Rudolpho (John is now convinced that Rudo's initial injury resulted from a fight with a fox, and I agree with him now), I said that if the foxes came and took our remaining three I wasn't going to have any ducks ever again.

And then I got to thinking what pleasure my ducks have given me and continue to give in spite of the worry, and that our garden would be overrun with slugs and snails again without the ducks, and so .................... I ordered an incubator yesterday, which was delivered today. Brilliant service, eh? I've just got it going and am looking forward to setting the eggs. Hopefully Rudolpho's genes are in one or two of those I've got lined up. Shame about Eppi, too. She was a wonderful egg-layer.

Saturday, 21st

A fox took Valentino this morning.

Gertie hadn't laid in the hut and she was busy making a nest under the buddleia right next to the kichen window. Valentino was standing guard and Fanny was busying herself around the frog pond just a few steps away. A little while later John reported that he had seen all three going into the field - Gertie hadn't found her latest nest to her liking.

I put off going into the garden because it had finally started to rain and started cleaning the kitchen instead. Very soon after, just gone 10, I heard the ducks making a racket. From the conservatory door I could just see two on the pond, no sign of any cats or foxes. But I thought I'd investigate anyway. Gertie and Fanny were in the duck pond, but I couldn't see Valentino anywhere. I could look all along the ditch as I had cleared the undergrowth the day before yesterday.

When I looked into the field I saw a fox come out of the hedge at the far end, and it had something white in its mouth. "No!", I cried, "please God no!" I ran like hell and pursued it, turned right through hedge and ditch and rolled under the barbed wire fence into the water meadows. The fox kept looking back, but it didn't drop Valentino until it was nearly at the brook, the place where Tony had broken his ankle last year. I had the crazy idea that if I could only get there quickly I could maybe revive Valentino. But when I got there his head had already been torn off. No chance of revival after that. I left his body. I thought if the foxes eat him it'll give us a little time before they come back for the last two.
Coming back through our field I saw Gertie's egg - she had maybe dropped it in fright. Birds had almost eaten it up.

The joy has gone out of our little paradise. It doesn't help telling ourselves that nature is like that and fox families need feeding, too. Let them eat rabbits I keep thinking, they, after all, breed like .............. rabbits. And I can't contemplate shutting our last two ducks in as lots of people are recommending. Most of the joy of our runners was seeing them roam freely.
We always knew the danger of foxes was there, but it does hit you hard when it happens.

Wednesday, 25th

I put 6 more eggs into the incubator after we lost our second drake. I shall candle the first lot of 8 tomorrow. Hope like mad that some embryos are developing.

We dug out a pond in the old chicken run yesterday, underneath the old apple tree, lined and filled it this morning, well, it was full in the early afternoon. Gertie and Fanny stopped their complaining at being shut up as soon as the water started to run in, and now look very happy to be in there:

It's been quite a day. We went to Staunton Harold at 9 to the nurseries and then the aquatics centre. Bought a liner and some oxygenators. Back home at 10 we both went to the duck hut and grabbed a loudly protesting duck each, put them in the chicken run and went to have a cup of coffee without having to watch them ... but, I'd just finished my cup when I saw Fanny, quacking triumphantly, run down to the duck pond. She had been small enough to slip through a space underneath the door (we're not fox-proof yet!).

John spent some time trying to get her off the pond while I changed into gardening clothes. Then I took over while he changed. On and off the duck pond I chased her with splashings and chucking lumps of mud, and everytime I wanted to guide her into the hut so I could catch hold of her she went back in the water. The last time I raced around so fast trying to stop her from going in that I slipped and fell rather badly - my left wrist is in a bad way. Hope it's just bruised and swollen and not broken. John had to do the cutting of the overhanging apple tree branches and everything that required two hands after that.

Since the disaster on Saturday we've taken it in turns to watch our last two ducks. Pearl came for a visit on Monday afternoon and we did some weeding with the ducks. Yesterday I sat on a chair and watched them on the duck pond most of the afternoon. It was very peaceful, I saw and heard lots of birds, and I could observe from close to what I had only guessed at from a distance: Gertie and Fanny indulge in fly catching! You know the clouds of flies you can see just above the surface of a pond, well the ducks make sort of stabbing motions at them. They seem to catch some, too, otherwise they probably wouldn't bother.

Several sightings of the foxes yesterday. While having breakfast in the conservatory John saw one in the water meadows, and another one around 5 when he was outside looking after two of our grandchildren. I saw a big one - more grown-up looking than the one that carried Valentino away, with white cheek whiskers - watching me from the edge of the brook while I was weeding and the ducks were in the frog pond. It stood like the lion king for about three minutes, then moved a little way after I shook my fist at it. I ran to tell John, and by the time he had gone over the stile the fox had moved to a thicket 50 metres closer to us. John chased it back to the brook and some distance along it, but lost it then.
I let the ducks forage in the field for an hour, keeping guard - and Harlequin came with we - before shooing them into their hut for the night at 8.

A flight of 6 or so mallards passed over our conservatory yesterday morning, 3 opportunist of them landed on the empty duck pond and made themselves at home. Two drakes and a duck. They took off as soon as I approached.

Of the 4 or more waterhens that used to be about our ponds we have seen nothing at all for a good two weeks. Were they victims of the foxes as well?