Ducklings in the marina have fallen prey to gulls, pike and crows this year.
But one Mother Duck has protected her last surviving baby and comes to visit often, either by taking up a position on the bank behind us using her tail feathers to shield her offspring from predators, or hiding in the reeds below, out of sight.
I took these pictures about two hours ago.
Not to be left out, our Migrant Two also came calling, but Mother Duck wouldn’t let them get too close to the boat.
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About pensitivity101
I am a retired number cruncher with a vivid imagination and wacky sense of humour which extends to short stories and poetry. I love to cook and am a bit of a dog whisperer as I get on better with them than people sometimes!
We have recently lost our beloved dog Maggie who adopted us as a 7 week old pup in March 2005. We decided to have a photo put on canvas as we had for her predecessor Barney, and now have three pictures of our fur babies on the wall as we found a snapshot of my GSD so had hers done too.
From 2014 to 2017 'Home' was a 41 foot narrow boat where we made strong friendships both on and off the water. We were close to nature enjoying swan and duck families for neighbours, and it was a fascinating chapter in our lives.
We now reside in a small bungalow on the Lincolnshire coast where we have forged new friendships and interests.
It is a sad trend that very few young made it the first year. Gulls are not the only enemy of the young.
Sad when the chicks get picked off one by one. Lovely photos though 🙂
There have been few successful broods this year, but the swans from the other side of the bridge have managed to rear five young, and we have seen them twice here in our marina. The swans here with their 3 have disappeared.
I hope this one makes it!
Mother and Baby are doing well! We had the adult swans and five cygnets in our basin this morning at 6.30. They are thriving!
Excellent!