On Swimming and Crows

This week I thought I’d share a few photos of life on the pond. I have yet to get a good shot of the Moor Hens (they hunker into the overgrowth on the banks) and the Ducks are being pretty cagey when it comes to the safety of their Ducklings. I haven’t even seen the baby Coots this year, but I know we have at least one adult Coot because I have pictures. That said, I did get a couple that you might find interesting.

They often preen in the sunlight here.

It’s still early enough in the year that Mr Tufted Duck still has his winter, black and white, colouring. The Ducklings go into hiding in behind.

Mrs Mallard hovers just inside the entrance as curious Goslings come to say hi.

The next set are swimming shots, taken one evening while my sweetheart threw seeds and bread to the family. We do not usually throw bread, as it’s bad for them (it expands in their tummies and causes all kinds of trouble), but the seed didn’t go far enough to catch Ralph’s and Alice’s attention. Bread goes farther and makes a bigger ‘plop’. After this, bread wasn’t necessary as they would always come closer for seed.

The wee ones really are growing, however tiny they look in water, but the predators are still an issue. Nothing that can’t be dealt with, however. Ralph, Alice, Norton and Trixie are on the job until the goslings’ muscles and wings grow enough that they can protect themselves.

As I write this at the beginning of August, I sit at my desk looking out on an empty lawn. They’ve flown away, as I knew they would. Thankfully, I have a bunch  more photos to share and I can re-experience the joy of watching them as I post. These photos were taken on the 28th and 29th of May, so the goslings weren’t yet a month old. They grew so much in that time! At this point, they were still very much babies, all down and adventure.