New Life

A late clutch from an abandoned ducks nest is now under the care of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust.
I was aware of this nest ever since it's beginning and had hoped that it would not be discovered since it was in a riverside garden.

However something scared the mother from the nest, to the point she did not return on the coldest night of August last week. The abandoned eggs were cold and wet and I gave little hope that any would survive since they were 3 weeks into their incubation. On candling the eggs no signs of life were detected and some were obviously dead and were discarded. 

The remainder I left in the incubator in the hope that maybe one or two might still be alive. After 3 days I candled the eggs again and was astonished to see the flicker of life in ALL the eggs, this was quite a miracle after being left cold and wet in close to freezing temperatures. At the point of writing, 4 have hatched with one doing so right now, and another 5 chapping at the shells. The will to survive in all of nature is truly amazing ! Although I know who the mother is, trying to catch her to rear these ducklings has so far been unsuccessful.