Before and after?

Ok, this isn't strictly true - the after shot is of busy lizzies in a much smaller pot and I am kind of showing off with my climbing petunias, but the busy lizzie pot is a good example of the locust-style devastation caused by the ducks. Not content with eating the leaves and the flowers, the ducks will continue down into the compost and eat the roots until there is absolutely nothing left. Hence, the size of the "babies" now (see above). We also know the sex of the babies and we have the best possible outcome :) one boy and one girl and they have finally been named, after intense debate at the dinner table over several evenings, and are called Derek and Dilys. The moniker Derek is a nod to our much loved and departed Dave (I think Derek and Dave would have had a pint together down the local followed by a game of darts), and Dilys because she just looks like a Dilys (pretty with a loud quack!).

These are a few of our favourite things!!

No.1 Snaffling about in the gravel after it's rained.

No.2 Eating

No. 3 Eating spaghetti

No. 4 Eating bread

No. 5 Eating bedding plants

No. 6 Eating flies/ants/worms/snails

No. 7 Swimming

No. 8 Preening

No. 9 Chasing flies, moths and any other bugs that live in the grass

No. 10 Sleeping (it's a hard life being a duck)

See how we've grown

I can't believe how big Splish and Splash have got in the 3 weeks since they hatched! However, judging by the amount they eat and the bedding plants they've demolished I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised :) They've definitely become one of the gang now and run out of the gate in the mornings with the others and head straight for the pond, followed by a scavenge around the garden, preening and then a nap (ducks are real creatures of habit). They've been loving the rain the last few days and have been venturing a bit further, enjoying the bugs and worms that appear when it rains. Someone, or something (and I did blame the ducks) has been in the strawberry patch eating the strawberries as there's been lots of half eaten ones and they're not small nibbles - more like duck divots.... Talking of food, I read somewhere that ducks love spaghetti so last week I gave them some leftovers and they went mad for it!! It was very funny seeing them dive into the spaghetti and then getting it stuck all over their beaks. I suppose it was a bit like eating worms really?!

One week on

Splish and splash (as I've temporarily named them until we know if they're girls or boys) are doing really well. They're loving the pond and we've even seen them diving right down under the water. Dora is definitely getting the hang of motherhood and stands right over them when they are snuggled up next to the pond. Daphne is not quite so snappy with the babies as she was when they were first introduced - I think she's realised that she's going to get a telling off from Dora. However, we're not taking any risks in putting them altogether in the enclosure at night and we've been letting Dora and the babies have the house, which is closed off, and leaving Daphne and Dolly in the enclosure. Daphne has not been happy about this and has twice managed to break into the house via a window (which is quite high for her - we've no idea how she did it based on her heavyweight size :)). The second time she broke in she bashed down a thick piece of cardboard which was secured over the window - it's now got a piece of wooden board across the window to stop her!! We realised that Daphne is desperate to lay an egg in the house which is why she was breaking in, as she laid one on the concrete yesterday and it ended up getting broken. So, last night I put in an old water butt, chopped in half, laid on its side and with some straw put in, as a temporary nesting box for her. Bingo! This morning Daphne was still in the enclosure, not the house, and she had laid an egg in the water butt - what a good girl - and the egg was in perfect condition!

Like ducks to water...

We let the Dora and the babies out into the garden and the pond this morning for the first time. At first they struggled to jump in and out of the pond over the edging but they soon got the hang of it as you can see. Dolly has taken well to the ducklings and hasn't paid them too much attention but Daphne has not taken kindly to the ducklings sharing her pond. We've had to supervise them (it's a hard life :)) whilst they've been out to make sure cats, magpies and Daphne leave them alone but Dora is turning out to be a great Mum, calling for them and coming to their defence. We gave the duck house and run a really good clean out this afternoon as we have only been able to clean round Dora and her nest for weeks now. By the time we finished and put Dora and the ducklings away the ducklings were so tired they were falling asleep on the edge of the pond and then falling in!!

Duckling update

Well, Dora still hadn't moved off her nest tonight so we had to gently shoo her off so we could remove the remaining eggs as (bless her) she was waiting for them to hatch. Sadly, of the 3 eggs remaining one hadn't hatched at all but the other two had dead ducklings which had halfway hatched - I've no idea why this happens?! :( However, on the bright side, we have 2 beautiful, fluffy yellow ducklings which have now followed Dora out to the the food and water. Tomorrow we plan to let them all out of the run and go on the pond (if they want to). We'll have to supervise them closely to start with and be ready with the pond net in case of any problems. Mr 10-t is then going to build a temporary run on the grass for Dora and the babies so they can be out during the day as they need something with netting over the roof as well to stop any magpies or cats taking them.

And then there were two...

Look what I found at lunchtime! Dora still hasn't moved from her nest so I don't know if that's it now or whether there are any others hiding in the nest. Just waiting for her to get up and take her babies for a drink and some food and then I'll relax. Off to smoke a cigar...:)