Delightful Ducks

Locally I reckon this is the best Summer we've had in living memory, nearly 3 months of good weather ! It has been a good year for the river birds with 49 new Mallard ducklings surviving so far. This looks like the best ever season for duck survival , and is exclusively down to the good weather. I noticed another mother duck with 3 ducklings arrive on the tidal stretch today,

the ducklings were about 6 weeks old and full of spirit. They had a go at chasing some adults, which is amusing to watch as the adults scoot away from the little aggressors.

Ducks are delightful creatures, and many are now gathering on the lower river now that the breeding season is all but over. Yesterday I took a short video prior to feeding them, the clamour below shows how much they look forward to their food !