Tuesday 19th May 2020

Tuesday 19th May 2020

Hi, I've pinched Mrs C's blog today as I want to update you on Mrs Quacknell and her ducklings or should I say Hetty's ducklings!!

We followed the advice from the RSPB which was really very kind of them to help us, and tried to catch mother and ducklings in order to take them to water. We caught the babies but we weren't able to catch the Mum, even though she kept coming back and landing - she was just so quick and was getting stressed. We left the ducklings alone in a pen where she could see them for a few hours but she actually didn't come back before it went dark and too cold for them so we had to take them inside with a hot water bottle! Hetty was absolutely obsessed with them and just wouldn't leave them alone. I kept saying to her,

 'are your chickies ok' and she would pop her head over the top of the box - I didn't call them ducklings to her as we give her dried 'duck duck' as a treat :)

Mum did come back a 4am in the morning so I took the chirpy things outside and as I was about to let them out to go to her, she flew off and didn't return! Anyway, they have been extremely well looked after and they followed Hetty around. If they went too far she nuzzled them back in to a group, she was amazing - she even whimpered to go in the pen with them so we let her!

On Sunday I asked our neighbour, who has a small holding with many animals, what she thought we should do and she said she would take them. Sarah prepared a place for them and also planned to put them in with another duck whose eggs did not hatch yesterday. They have the river at the bottom of their land and she said they would probably fly off there once their feathers had come, and also that they would probably go back for food!!

We were sorry to see them go as we had such a wonderful weekend with them  but it is the best outcome for them. I feel bad that they didn't go with their Mum but Sarah said she may turn up and would hear their chirping. Also there are no predators over the road whereas if they had gone to the river it is possible only a couple would have survived.

Sarah will keep us updated - do look at the beautiful pictures and videos!

Mrs B x