Active Week

Has been a pretty active week with the transfer of the 9 saved ducklings into the river, and moving the mother with the broken wing and her ducklings into the Aviary.

Also found a dead cat in the moat beside the Swans island earlier in the week. 

After contacting the Vets, it was claimed by someone near Harbour street. It had been dead for nearly a week and I had to remove it for fear of contamination. The other 2 ducklings I hatched in the house have now been moved to the coop.

 So far 76 ducklings have been taken by predators, leaving only 9 surviving - excluding the ones I have managed to save. 

Cygnets are growing fast and I try and give them some soft grass every day, so if you want to feed them, then pull some nice soft green grass - much better than white bread which has no nutritional value.

Ducklings Saved

Ever since I saw that poor Mother duck with the horrific facial injury I have been haunted with the nightmarish close up images which are too graphic to show here. I tried in vain to catch her yesterday to avoid the suffering which she must have endured. Today I could not see her at all, and the last remaining duckling of her brood was completely on it's own trying desperately to join another mother of two, only to be rejected.
My mission was therefore to unite all 3 ducklings belonging to the injured duck, and get them to safety until old enough to fend for themselves in the river. Finally tonight about 8pm I got my chance to catch the last duckling and reunite it with it's siblings.

 I don't know if the mother is already dead, but I could find no trace of her today, I will keep looking.
I am still aching from yesterday's encounter with the Swans, but getting that last duckling before the crows or gulls makes this a good day.