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This is the coldest May I can ever remember and it is serving the predators well. Today another Mother duck turned up on the river with 5 ducklings and I watched as 3 were taken one after another over about 30 minutes by a Crow.
This evening she had lost the last two, I have no problem with predation as long as it continues right to the ultimate predator - us, however I do have a problem with predation stopping at Crows !! It is so depressing to witness this constant slaughter. The cold weather means a distinct lack of insect life, not suitable for young birds.
The cygnets are growing and making full use of the renovated Moat and nest site.
Having killed around 50 ducklings in the river so far, the crows have now also killed a cygnet earlier today! Eye witness accounts told me the crow was jumping around the nest area and eventually made a successful grab for a newly hatched cygnet, killing it at the base of the island.
Penny was still hatching her clutch and could not move, and Popeye the cob was limited with his reach. I am still surprised that the crow got so close to the nest during the hatching. These crows are causing a huge amount of carnage on the riverside, and are becoming ever more skilled as time goes by. Having retrieved the dead cygnet I was surprised by the size and weight, and the crow could not have flown off with it. No wonder tiny ducklings don't stand a chance with these predators.
The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust will have to see what action we can take to combat this destructive menace.
The swans hatching is still in progress, but the windy weather is very much in the crows favour.
While retrieving the dead cygnet, I took the opportunity of taking a few pics and short video of the nest site below, enjoy !
Once again the Crows have wiped out the entire river population of Ducklings in the past week, so far all 4 hatchings that I'm aware of have been taken by the Crows.
Two days ago I rescued another 2 ducklings that were about to be taken, having seen one of their siblings being picked off the surface of the moat by a crow.
The Mother was nowhere to be seen and most likely chased by the single Drakes, leaving the ducklings to the mercy of the crows. It was more than I could stand so added them to the 8 recently incubated ones from an abandoned nest. They have been accepted since there was only about three days difference in age.
Meanwhile the mother with 9 is doing well in the safety of the aviary. These ducklings are the only survivors in what has been a devastating couple of weeks on the lower river. For those of you who haven't managed to see any this year so far...a short clip of the ones in the brooder below.
As expected in less than a week the Crows have devastated the first few broods of ducklings, and likely to do much more in the coming weeks. I witnessed a very new attack by one Crow this week when it lifted a duckling from the water, this is a newly acquired skill and means the chances of survival for ducklings on the river is almost nil. The mother with 12 has only one left !
The first two broods of 18 ducklings are all gone except for one, and I don't give much for it's chances.
Another Duck turned up yesterday with 9 and today this is down to 8. It's pretty heartbreaking stuff.
