More Every Day

Many of my readers know we lived on a boat in a marina for three years.
In that time, we watched nature at close quarters, ducks, geese, swans, even a pheasant once which Maggie lifted on the dog walk and I didn’t even know it was there!

The ducks fascinated me, and I named a few. I got some good shots too of ducklings and  young cygnets, and when we went on our trips up river, fields were full of Canada geese and if we were lucky, goslings.
Photos: all mine taken in May 2015.

The park here is full of Canada geese, and mallard ducks, just like we had on the marina.
It would appear we have a relative of the Migrant Three here:

Migrant Three March 2016

Sadly this reduced to two by July as we found the oldest white duck dead in the water and fished her out.
Photos: Our migrant three and then two. 

Also, we have another Laughing Duck here and in the main, the males outnumber the females by about four to one.

We noticed another type of duck the other day and since then the number has grown to 11!
These aren’t my pictures, but black and white tufted ducks are swimming merrily on the lake, their distinctive orange eyes gazing eerily at you.

I’m so hoping to get some pictures of ducklings and goslings when they arrive. Unlike in the marina, they shouldn’t have quite so many predators to pick them off.

Photo: May 2015, aboard a neighbour’s boat which was ‘grounded’ as Mrs Mallard had taken up residence and laid 8 eggs, 7 of which hatched.