Ducktales

You guys may recall me writing about finding ducks in my flower garden a number of weeks ago. It was a great surprise and I was quite thrilled at the prospect of having a guest in my "hostel"...never mind she wasn't invited.


Well, I had mixed feelings--being a lover of nature and especially birds this was something right up my alley...on the other hand, I also love veg and flowering plants...and no sooner had I gotten used to the idea of having them around and seeing the ducklings hatch out, then fledge than I thought of the potential devastation to my sappy, young plantlets this could potentially represent.
Urrrggggh! A little shiver went through me.

I made a quick recon of the flower and veg plots. I found no evidence of damage in the veggie plot. Whew. Good news.
However in the flower garden, it was another story: the Campanula had been sheared of like a buxus hedge--all neat and tidy. There were my precious Phlox nibbled off to the ground. There was the Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' which had also been eaten down to ground level. Bits of my Trollius plants had also suffered.
I found where the mother duck had been rooting around like an old sow in the dirt in various plots.
What to do?!

I immediately got onto the internet and looked up the Mallard Duck to learn things like gestation, incubation, feeding times, size of the clutch...things like that.

I learned that they lay one egg a day until she is empty. That the mother gets off the eggs twice a day to eat something--once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
I learned that the incubation takes 4-6 weeks and that all the eggs hatch the same day regardless of whether the egg was laid first, fourth or tenth.
The fledging was less clear---some sources said that they fledged the same day that they hatched...and other said up to a week later.
Well!...I was not having those little critters mowing my new plants down for a week! No sir.

I had to set some borders of acceptability for myself. Limits that I could tolerate as a gardener, letting my nature-lover side be temporariy suppressed. Once I got that clear in my head I started thinking up solutions in the event that a 'worse case scenario' situation developed.
I figured out different responses in a vertical order from softest to most severe.

I reasoned that there were at least ten eggs in that nest and that meant that she had been present for at least ten days. I discovered the nest on 8 april.
Then there was the day that I discovered the brooding mother and added each additional day.
They hatched out 28 or 29 april--so it's been 20-21 days since 8 april...
That, added to the ten days it took to lay the eggs make the process at least 30-31 days long. The only thing that I do not know is what the time frame was between when she finished laying the eggs and the 8th of april when I discovered the nest.

Ok then, my pal Pim came by for a little visit and tea in the lottie. As we were chatting the mother duck jumped-up into the air and flew away. It was around 18.00 so I guess that she was off for a meal and to stretch a bit.
I went over to the plot and parted the lavender branches, peering down into the nest...there were NO EGGS! What the heck!??


There was only that lovely down that she had plucked out of her own breast...but no eggs. I thought for a moment and then pushed my fingers into the down and wriggled them downwards--the down broke apart and I felt the warmth of the nest and felt then the clutch of eggs.


I spread my fingers to expose and count the gggs, but when I removed my fingers the hole sprung back, almost closing. I took a quick foto and then pulled the down completely together again and left the nest as I had found it.
The mother returned about one hour and fifteen minutes later and landed in the garden and waddled over to the nest and plopped down again.
I had seen a male flying with her, but he did not join her at the nest.

Four days later I returned to the lottie to give water to the toms and lettuce in the greenhouse. As I arrived on the bike, I saw that the little plot adjacent to the nest wiggled with brown life! The ducklings! I didn't know how quickly to stop the bike and fish my little camera out of the bag... all the while she was peeping to them and they were peeping back.
Before I knew it and just as I got the camera out and turned on, she had them in a little clot behind her heading up the path.


After she went around the bend of the path I had to step over the fence and pursue quietly and carefully.
As it turned out I was too careful and too slow, as I missed her leading them up the plank and springing off. I mean I saw it but could not get my camera up to my face quickly enough to snap the foto. It all happened in a flash. Darn!

What I saw was her leading the little ducklings up the plank and when she sprung off, a few went right with her without thinking...the ones behind ploughed into the ones that had balked at the drop (~24 inches). The balkers had gotten pushed over the edge by the impact, leaving the last three or so to discover what to do.
Here you can see two of the remaining 3-4. Contemplating the possible benefits of getting their willies wet, weighing the idea of staying on the plank dry and safe...or taking the plunge into the "real world", as it were. All the metafors come to mind here.


A closer look. They do not seem to be panicing...but the ones out of sight, down in the forget-me-nots are peeping their heads off:


Mother and the brave ones are at the plank's edge coaxing the little laggers to get their fuzzy behinds down into the water and stop faffing about about.


Eventually they all did get into the water without my help...nature's way, and Mother Duck took them across to the opposite bank, which was filled with young and tender green bits to nibble on.


Ahhhhhhhhhhh....I could relax. The ducks had done what ducks do...and all was well for the moment. As they had completed this fledging without intervention from predators; what would now happen to them is no longer in my hands, as hostel landlord. They will have to take their chances out in the big, wide world with all it's wonders and dangers.

I went back to the nest to check for to have a look at the abandoned nest... and what did I find? A sleepy or sick little orphan.


I reached down to pick him up and he shocked-awake! When he moved, I automatically jerked my paw back!
He began peeping and ran from me. I was able to guide him in the direction of the plank, which he found eventually and by this time mother duck had heard the little peeper and was back below the end of the plank chirping out notes of encouragement. The little runt teetered and finally, albeit reluctantly, sprung. Well done little one!
He quickly paddled over to the group of siblings and they headed off down the canal.....

All that was now left was flattened duck down and portions of abandoned egg shells. Another life cycle had begun.

 

Oh my goodness, Sjoerd, I think this is my favorite story of yours of all time. I'm going to put it in my favorites so I can read it and show my niece. She'll love it. I'm so glad you got there in time to see them make their journey (our ducks here always wait until no one is around to leave). And that last litle baby! Oh, too cute. He would have been so sad if he woke up later to find everyone gone... What a relief that you found him in time to reunite him with his Momma... Wonderful story Sjoerd.

 

Awww...what a lovely story Sjoerd! I'm so glad you found the last little duckling. That Mama will sure be busy with 10 babies to watch!!

 

Awww. Such a wonderful story. I'm so glad they've left your plot. I'm also very pleased that they chose your plot because then we got to see them too. Thanks for sharing them.

 

We are such "lucky ducks" that you happened to return to the lottie just as Momma Duck was taking her brood to the canal. I am so glad you were there to document and narrate the final chapter of ducktales. So glad you went back to check the nest and were able to get the little duckling back in the fold. Great photos, I love the close up of Momma and babies swimming off. :-D

 

awesome pics and adventure sjoerd! it is truly amazing how wonderfully the mom duck does take care of the little ones. and it is so baffling that these little ducklings can swim at such a tender age! so glad you had a canal nearby!

wonderful post sjoerd!

 

Thank you so much, DAISY--I am tickled pink that you liked the posting, and I hope that your niece will too.
I was glad that I found the little duckling too. I could have easily missed him by not going back...and his mum had already taken off for greener pastures. I can thank my curosity.

Thanks Eileen-- Yes, I was quite disappointed when I discovered the mum had been nibbling on my plants. However, as you said it's good that the lot of them are gone now.
I had counted 11 ducklings...but then I had the luxury of enlargement to help me.
Fingers crossed that they all make it to adulthood.

Hiya NETTY--She sure will. Thanks for liking the posting this time.

Thanks DROOPY--It was a pleasure to write about the duckies. I enjoyed seeing them fledge and I shall miss checking on them every day now.

GAIL-- You are too right about my luck. If I had been 15 minutes later, I would have missed it all.
I am happy that you liked that "family foto", although none of the pics were actually very good because I was running about and clicking with one hand. I also couldn't see the viewing screen because the sun was shining from behind me. It's a wonder that I got any pics at all. hahaha

Thank you so much, BUNKIE-- This scene was interesting and amazing to watch...I must say, that I am fascinated by most natural things.