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Disco took the ducklings for their first big pool bath today.
She herself had the best bath for quite some time, as she was busy on the nest for the past month.
Finished with a preen and wander round the garden with her 14 ducklings. Short movie below.
Disco the Trust Disabled duck has hatched 12 ducklings today ! She has outdone the one in the incubator which is still not hatched.
Incredibly she has hatched them on the same day as last years brood !
Three of her eggs were infertile as well as three that I had in the incubator. I think it's a case of laying too many, and the difference between those laid first and last.
However, I am doubly delighted because I gave her the two rescued ducklings which immediately cuddled up beside her, exactly one week since they were hatched.
They can clearly be seen as the largest, being a week older. What a great result and what a great duck !
Short clip of first dip below.
Our Two rescued Ducklings have settled in well, and am truly thankful they have each others company.
Ducks are very gregarious and need companionship.
Sitting underneath a photo of an adult will have to suffice until Disco hatches her brood later this week.
Meanwhile they have enjoyed a bath on this lovely hot day !
After the elation of yesterday's first hatched brood of the year, today the down side.
My worries of yesterday were well founded when I was told by Some Trust members that they saw a group of Ducklings going into the Harbour yesterday afternoon. Today I tried to find them and doubted that any would have survived the night without a mother.
Currently there are two high spring tides a day which means the tiny ducklings would be unable to get out of the water for many hours. Being only a day or two old the cold water would kill them unless kept warm by mother or huddled in a group. Incredibly, I spotted 2 ducklings between the boats searching for food - they had survived the night. Sadly the other 9 must have perished, probably at the hands of Crows and Gulls.
The Trust is committed to intervene in the case of Orphaned or injured ducklings, with this in mind I mounted a rescue operation, and after 2 hours managed to catch the ducklings.
They are now being cared for in the Trust brooder. I will attempt to introduce them into disco's brood - due to hatch in a weeks time. With a bit of luck they will have a Mum to rear them until fledged.
Short clip below, preening close to a mother duck after a hearty meal !
Good Friday and Easter traditionally a time for new life. This indeed is a Good Friday, being the warmest day of the year so far in this part of the world. Coincidentally we also have the appearance of the first duckling brood of the year ! No sign of the Mother duck which is a bit worrying, but hopefully she will turn up soon.
Often new mothers get pounced on by single drakes and briefly have to make a quick exit from the river. The hatch timing is critical, and their survival depends very much on the mothers care and the weather. The warmth today should ensure a hatch of insect life too.
Yet again we have female nesting ducks being killed by loose dogs. Seems like Dog owners have still not heeded the Trust and Scottish outdoor access code advice, to keep their dogs under close control near wildlife areas. There are still some people in Nairn who let their dogs work the riverbanks with hunting breeds like Spaniels and Labradors - these were bred for grabbing waterbirds !! PLEASE KEEP THEM ON A LEAD NEAR WILDLIFE !
The poor ducks cant get peace to nest even in thick undergrowth close to the riverside. The Trust membership should report any wildlife crime, where an out of control dog catches any ground nesting birds. We have lost two female ducks already, and this is before we have seen any hatched ducklings on the river !
The Town Herring gulls are under siege, from their own kind as well. My neighbours adjoining flat roof has been home to a pair of Herring gulls for many years.
They have in fact raised many chicks in the 16 years I have lived here. I must have put their fallen chicks back up onto that roof umpteen times over the years.
Currently they have a Turf war on their hands from another pair that seem determined to take over their patch.
There was a vicious fight today between the two males and the standoff continues !
There is valid reason why some people complain about the damage they can do to property, witness the flashing having been torn away from the brick wall in this instance !
It is often said nature can be cruel, today a savage reminder on the river of just how deadly this can be. Penny is currently sitting on the nest, and Duke on guard nearby watching for any threat to their territory.
Sadly a rare visitor in the shape of a Whooper Swan, made a fatal mistake of flying into the river at this time. It was immediately pounced on by Duke and relentlessly attacked for more than 10 minutes.
It could not escape as Duke was too powerful and on it's back the whole time, holding it's head under water. As I was too far away for any close up shots, I was told by a witness that the Whooper died shortly after from exhaustion and drowning.
This is very sad, and witnessed by several distressed onlookers. We often see it on TV as the natural world in action, a reminder that life and death are never far away, even in the seemingly tranquil world of graceful swans.
However sad, Duke was doing what male Swans do - protecting his domain and nesting mate. The Photo at the top is from two years ago when Duke overpowered another Mute Swan, this did not result in a fatality and Duke let him go as they were on dry land. Fights between Mute Swans rarely end in fatalities as one or other usually backs off. In this case, the fact that it was a different species may have made the difference between life and death.
As always I'm full of wonder and admiration when it comes to birds and their egg producing abilities.
An evolutionary miracle from a time even before the Dinosaurs.
The Mallard duck is one of the most successful and prolific waterbird species on the Planet, and watching Disco having just laid 17 eggs I'm not surprised ! They contain all the DNA ingredients for new life and never cease to amaze me.
The incubation by the parent in itself is amazing maintaining a temperature of 99 F for a month, regardless of the changing weather conditions around them. Having 4 of Disco's eggs in the incubator I have to copy to some extent what Disco does to successfully hatch her brood. After 6 days I'm able to candle the eggs and check if they are indeed alive and viable. The photo above shows what can be observed by candling, showing the embryo and blood vessels forming. From the 9th to the 25th day, I have to allow the eggs to cool down once a day for about 15 minutes, giving them a fine mist spray before closing the incubator back to the 99 F. This is emulating exactly what the mother duck does when leaving the nest to eat and wash once a day while nesting in the wild. The eggs also have to be turned in order to prevent them sticking to the inside of the shell and dying. The final 3 days requires no more turning, a slight drop in temperature and raised humidity.
So next time you see a mother duck with a large brood of ducklings in tow, just think what a feat she has achieved !
