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I had the opportunity of a duck count the other evening when they were all settled down for the night - I counted 150.
Many of the ducks that had been away nesting have now returned minus their offspring !
The crows and other predators have all but annihilated this years ducklings.
Only two female ducks out of 45 that were able to nest, have successfully managed to save 3 and 4 from their broods.
Well over 100 ducklings were lost to predators that I know of, but the number is more likely to be double or treble that amount.
Even the ones that I managed to help for several weeks before releasing them to the river had a hard time, with about a quarter still being taken, including the beautiful white duck.
However more than a dozen have survived and thankfully most of those are female. Having done it myself I know just how hard it is for ducks to rear their offspring, they have my total admiration and sympathy. The Trust provides feed for the swans and ducks every day, they each receive an average of around 2.2 ounces of grain per day which I try to distribute as equitably as possible. This is boosted by seasonal pulled grass, carrots and wholemeal bread. To aid good feather growth, I give Mealworm, lettuce, and thawed garden peas for the newly reared ducklings. We probably have the healthiest water birds in Scotland .
Not forgetting the over wintering Pintail refugee from the North !
Some people are still throwing their mouldy stale bread to the birds - PLEASE DON'T, it is poisonous to swans and ducks !!
Short video below of Pintail duck trying to eat some wild bird seed in peace.
With what appears to be our Indian Summer, we released the last of the Douglas street rescued ducklings yesterday.
Conditions were perfect and the mother and ducklings enjoyed getting to the river.
Other items of note were the fact that Popeye appears to have sustained an injury to his right wing / side,
I am keeping a close watch on him and he appears to be OK at this time.
The Pintail duck is still here and looks fairly settled.
Got quite a surprise this evening while feeding the Swans and ducks, and had a brief double take.
Must have come in on the recent northerly winds that have been bringing the cold weather.
A Pintail duck feeding happily among the Mallards, something I have only ever seen in January or February.
These birds migrate south from Scandinavia, Iceland, the Baltic states and Russia.
Apparently less than 50 pairs breed in the UK and Ireland, so it's pretty rare. This looks like a female or a juvenile, nice to see and hopefully it hangs around for a while.
The exceptional mild weather continues locally, and we are already seeing the days getting longer. So far it looks like it's going to be a mild wet winter compared to recent years. The Cygnets are still in the river and this is the longest that Popeye and Penny have kept any of their broods around. Perhaps the lack of proper winter weather has delayed their departure.
It is also noticeable that some species that normally arrive in the river at this time are not yet here, like the tufted ducks and pintail.
There is a female Goldeneye but as yet no males to be seen.
Here are some pics of our river birds in previous winters.
The Pintail has arrived back with the frosty weather, he is quite a character and keeps all the Mallards at a distance. I was amazed to find that he only allowed the last white duck to be in his space without attacking her. Go's to show that one of a kind can recognise and empathise with another, one of a kind ! The frosty weather has all the water birds clamouring for grub just now.
Last year we had a Pintail duck who overwintered for the first time on the River, I am pleased to report that he has returned today. These rare ducks have only around 50 breeding pairs in the UK, although we have about 28,000 that winter in the UK from Iceland Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic states. He has joined our local ducks for the feeding that I gladly provide throughout the winter. The pintail has beautiful patterns on his feathers, and these will get more pronounced as winter heads to spring, welcome back Mr Pintail !
The Pintail is still Wintering here, with ample opportunity to get some more pics too. Reading the RSPB book on the Pintail it seems a pretty rare breeder in the UK and Ireland, with fewer than 50 breeding pairs ! It would be nice if this one had a mate locally and bred here. It's the first one I have ever seen and find it beautifully marked. It's
probably a visitor from Iceland, Scandinavia or the Baltic states though.
The fabulous winter weather continues, and locally looks like being the mildest winter for years...so far ! The Swans however are not fooled into thinking spring has arrived, so no question of nest building yet. The Pintail is getting well entrenched among the Mallards,
and occasionally ventures onto the land to clear up the grain. The Goldeneye and remarkable Dipper are also on the go.
Though not as cold as last Winter it has still been pretty keen frost over the past few days. January has been really mild and I quite like the clean, cold bright days - beats wind and rain anytime ! We need the frost anyway to stop any runaway growth before the spring.The Swans were slipping and
sliding all over the moat which was solid with glass ice, eventually they did manage to get back to the river. (Short video below ) The beautiful Pintail duck is happy among the Mallards and looks like staying for a while at least.
This morning with the Sun behind me I had the chance to get a few good pics of the Pintail and Mallards. The clear cold weather gives them quite an appetite for the wheat grain, and the Pintail duck likes his share too ! With spring approaching, the Ducks are starting to get their truly dazzling colours and the Drakes are having domination
fights to impress the ladies.
