The Virus lockdown helped earlier in the year giving the wildlife a little more peace to nest. The current surviving total on the lower river is 49, which includes the 15 released by the Trust some time ago.
Was only 3 days ago that we had the latest hatching of 8 ducklings, preceded 3 weeks ago by another 9. All are thriving, and there is still a chance of even more turning up at this late stage.
The late broods are becoming more common and are also more successful at surviving. The reasons I believe the mother ducks are catching on to later nesting are - less predation, more cover, more food available, warmer temperatures, shorter nights, and less pressure from Drakes that have started moulting. I note that the current mothers also had late hatching last year, and have learned to repeat the process.
This bodes well for the future, as their offspring are also likely to nest later in the year. If you see the current ducklings, Please don't throw bread on top of them, as this will only draw down predatory Gulls and crows on them.
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