Been another eventful day on the River, but the weather is still poor for the time of year, already past mid - summer. The new rescued brood of 9 were also being kept warm by Mum, with regular body warmings in between swimming and foraging around the Aviary, they are incredibly cute at this age.
This morning I also released twin ducklings into the river,only to see them beat a hasty retreat from the hungry hoards of river residents.
Having had no contact with any other ducks since hatching 6 weeks ago, they were timid and hid on the riverbank until the afternoon before rejoining the other ducks. This evening they had adjusted to the fact that they are not the only ducks in the world and should be fine.
The annual carnage among the young seagulls has also begun, with a concerned local resident leaving a badly injured seagull in my garden for attention. A quick inspection showed it had a compound leg fracture and internal injuries causing breathing difficulty. I had no choice but to pass it to the Scottish SPCA who immediately put it to sleep. It's a sad fact that some people intentionally run over these young birds, as I once witnessed in Harbour street. This is callous and cruel behaviour.
