Two Months Old

Cygnets are 2 months old and like peas in a pod...except for the little one which lags behind. 

Seems like it's always last to the food and first to finish, also stays mainly on the outside of the brood. 

The biggest ones intimidate it, but I'm hoping this is a phase that will pass in time. Still no real sign of Sue starting to moult , but should start this month. 

Meanwhile Donnie and Disco have both moulted together at home, and look pretty happy together with their offspring gone to the river. 

The Mother duck with 9 ducklings on the river,  is still surviving and thriving. Short video below.

Penny's New Look

Our resident Swan Matriarch Penny, gave me a full frontal of her new Feather growth.

She has finished moulting and the new feather growths are now all in place. It will still be another couple of weeks before she is capable of flight again. 

New Brood

What has been one of the few lovely Summer days, also turned up a new duck brood on the river.

A mother with 4 advanced ducklings about 7 weeks old. This is great to see since she is only the second mother who has managed to save some of her brood on the river by herself. I really admire ducks, with so much of the odds stacked against them they do their best. Just a week ago I witnessed a mother duck with her last two ducklings being attacked by a great black back gull, she grabbed hold of the black back after it swallowed one of her ducklings and tried to grab the other one. 

This was real bravery, because the black back is a powerful top predator of ducks. Right now all the ducks are moulting and this takes about 3 weeks, until they grow their new flight feathers  - they are literally sitting ducks !

Meanwhile the Douglas street brood of 7 are being well looked after by Mum, although confined to the garage her behaviour is as it would be on the river.

She is doing a great job, and how cute it is keeping them warm !!

Penny Pre Moulting Bath

Cygnets are still intact and thriving, Popeye and Penny keeping them close and ever watchful of potential danger. Penny is entering the pre moulting stage and pulling at her feathers, I think there is some irritation and possible parasites that need expelled with the old feathers.

 Sitting on a nest for nearly 7 weeks is bound to allow some pests to get onto her body.

She was doing a lot of picking and had a vigorous bath. ( short video below ).