November

7.11.04

I've been letting the ducks out every day this week, and Gertie performed her little flying exercise every morning - just about 5 or 6 flaps of the wings, once lifting a metre off the ground and once flying a second time right into the pond.

John hadn't seen this, and yesterday morning I asked him if he would come down with me as I 'had a flight to catch'. I positioned myself with the camera, and here is the result:

Unfortunately it was still very dark at 7 and I had to increase the brightness of the photo in the computer. This morning I tried to "catch" Gertie's flight on my own, but only got her landing:

15.11.04

I often ask myself why the ducks don't come near the house any more. They come running up when they see us in the garden, especially when we're carrying a spade or a fork, but quickly run back to the pond after a very short time. The same thing happens after they've chased pheasants or waterhens.

Once they followed a moorhen to the outer edge of the orchard, and they came close to me, as well, when I was filling the wheel barrow with compost near the stile. In both cases, though, they would not cross the footpath to get to the frog pond. One morning, to help matters along a bit, I grabbed Valentino (the other two had been too quick), carried him to the frog pond and threw him in. But he turned around at once, climbed up the slope and ran back to the duck pond.

I find it a shame that I don't see them around the house any more. They used to drink from the buckets by the side of the garage, go on snail hunts at the back of the house, and I had to watch out they didn't go on the road. Can I really have frightened them so much when I chased them away from the waterhens' nest?

I also ask myself if Pearl, the one who died, was older than the others. In the runner duck web sites I read that the beaks of these ducks turn dark green with age, and Pearl's really was the most cucumber-green of beaks. She was often the leader of the little troupe, and always when they were off to the frog pond. Who knows?

23.11.04

Today's the day, it finally happened: the ducks came back to the frog pond!

I had seen them late this morning joining John near the greenhouse, and then by the water tap at the garage. This afternoon we caught sight of them running towards the corner of the garden below the house - obviously in pursuit of something - and then they were on the pebbles. They looked uncertain for a while, then Gertie dipped in a foot and quickly out again. Finally Rudolpho went in, Valentino followed a few moments later, and then Gertie. Unfortunately it was too dark an afternoon to take a photograph.

They were having a wonderful time, splashing and diving and fetching up beaksfull of weeds and leaves, until John went out to the car to fetch Sam from school. They looked up worried and decided it was time to make a withdrawal, running back to their pond as fast as their flat feet would carry them.

Gertie didn't have her little flight this morning. I wonder if the novelty has worn off.

24.11.04

They were back in this morning, though, quite early on:

Where you see them swimming had been totally choked with the reed grass not so long ago. I've still not finished clearing the surplus out, it is a difficult job as the roots had matted to a thickness of more than 30 cm - I had to use a large bread knife (being careful not to cut the pond liner) to cut off sections of it I could carry away. You can still see a pile at the back, right, of the photo waiting to be carried to the compost.

As the ducks haven't been in this pond for about three months they are finding lots to eat under water.