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You can tell it's Autumn as the colder longer nights increase the hunt for food. The local Sparrowhawk has increased it's attacks on my garden Sparrows, and today was eyeing up my call ducks.
Having recently built a duckpond , it proved it's worth today when they hurriedly jumped in to escape the Sparrowhawk.
I heard a commotion and looked out the window to see the hawk wondering if it had chance to get one !
The eagerly awaited hatching of the call ducks started yesterday, and as I write, two have hatched another unable to break out during the night has died in shell, and I await two final eggs to hatch - if they do !
I was told they were Black call duck hatching eggs, but as you can see - only one black at the moment.
Was also lead to believe that call ducks are notoriously difficult to hatch, and the final incubation stage appears to be the case, I had to help the light coloured one get out of the shell at midnight, otherwise it probably wouldn't have made it. They are cute though !
So go's the old saying, but maybe it's an ill wind that might have benefits later. Many of the ducks are back to the lower river for food and appear to have put nesting on hold due to the cold weather. When nesting resumes, there might be more cover and natural food around for the ducklings. The water is icy, and Winter is with us for a while yet, although we have faired much better than most in the UK.
Yet another pigeon casualty I picked up from my street yesterday, this is the 8th pigeon in the past year, 6 of which have survived so far. This one has either hit a car or window, but does not appear to have any broken bones. However it was bleeding from the mouth, I think it's brain has been scrambled resulting in partial paralysis of it's legs, more so the left side.
It is out of immediate danger, and managed to have a drink this morning. Time will tell if it is going to recover completely.
I also noticed that the light coloured Call duck has disappeared since around the 17th.
This is a great pity because the 4 call ducks were inseparable and I thought they might manage to nest and give us some young ones. I know there is a chocolate labrador called Dexter that is untrained and in the river trying to catch ducks. I had a word with the owner and told him that the dog MUST be kept on a lead near the river. I don't know if this dog is responsible for ducks that are going missing, but owners MUST keep their dogs under control near wildlife !
Cold damp Arctic air combined with drizzle makes for gloomy winter weather conditions. Even the ducklings headed back into the coop today for the warmth of the lamp and straw. They are growing fast and the shafts of their primary wing feathers are forming. Meanwhile down on the river, the ducks are clamouring for their food when I show up. The 4 Call ducks are still together and are as tough as any Mallard. Today I watched as one of the call drakes watched by his mate, took on a mallard drake, he was barely half the weight and eventually lost, but what a fight !
Autumnal air sweeps across the country, and a new urgency prompts the birds to feed themselves up for the coming winter. The mother duck with the 5 late ducklings is down to 3, even at a month old I suspect the hoodie crows got the last two. The cygnets are now 4 months old, and Popeye has regrown his new wing feathers and should be able to fly again by next week. Be ready to observe some short flights along the shore soon ! Some love lessons given out to the cygnets on reaching 4 months old today, short video showing the ducks creating a cacophony of sound below, including the 4 wee call ducks together as usual. The white ducks are beautiful and at last accepted by the Swans !
The cygnets wings are getting stronger and less floppy, they should be able to start serious flight training by the end of the month. Penny's new wing feathers were given the full lift off yesterday when she flew about 100 metres just above the river. The mystery of where the 4 new ducks came from was solved, when I learned that the owner was a local man. I reckon they are bonnie wee bantam call ducks that come in various colours.
