Mystery of the disappearing eggs

Lovely evening light

We've had some wonderful sunsets recently and the days have been surprisingly bright. Temperatures, however, fluctuate dramatically. One day we can sit in the garden enjoying the warm sunshine, the next, we have to wrap up against the chill wind.

Male pochard duck

A pair of pochards have 'taken up residence' in the area and they are very tame. They visit regularly to feed and make no bones about their feelings of superiority, seeing off any mallard that tries to share the food. Some drakes are brave enough to take them on, but usually the pochards reign supreme . . . until the coots arrive!

Robin with nesting material

A pair of robins have been keeping me company while I tend the garden and they decided to nest in our shed. We were a little concerned but left the window open to allow them access even though it was not an ideal situation. The next day I was watching the shed to check whether the robins were definitely nesting there and saw a robin disappearing, with a beakful of leaves, into the recesses of a folded tarpaulin close to the shed. This was decidedly unsafe as a potential nesting site and I commented to Dave on how ironic it was that they had ignored a nest box close by. He moved the box, placing it next to the tarpaulin, and made the entrance wider. We had hardly turned our backs when the robins took it over and within a day had completed their nest.

Great crested grebe with fish

There are times when grebes catch fish that are just too big but this one was not allowed to get away and I watched the grebe manoeuvre it into position before swallowing it.

Male mandarin duck investigating mallard's nest

What is it about this particular nest box? Last month, the mallard that now occupies this nest tried to take over Goldeneye's box on the top deck. She finally decided on this one at water level but is constantly pestered by other ducks hoping to occupy it. There is an identical box a few feet away which they all investigate but for some reason this box is the 'des res'. Every evening for several weeks, before Mrs. Speckles began to sit on her eggs full time, the male mandarin wandered in and out of both nest boxes and tried to tempt his partner to take one over. It was so funny to watch. He seemed keener than her but occasionally they would both squeeze into one or other of the boxes. The hybrid female duck we call Lonely also regularly went in and out of the boxes as did Silverduck. Finally, Mrs. Speckles spent more time in situ, sitting on 10 eggs and she would huff at any 'would be' intruders in an attempt to protect her property. One morning we heard a commotion, the sound of a female mallard in distress, and we were just in time to see Mrs. Speckles being chased from her nest by a drake. The approach plank was splattered with egg yolk! I looked inside the nest while she was still away and she had only nine eggs. As the days went by she had fewer eggs in the nest and tell tale signs of egg yolk on the plank. Then Dave saw her fly off with part of an egg in her beak. At first we thought that a crow or magpie was stealing the eggs but we started to watch the nest more carefully and realised that Mrs. Speckles was being attacked by a drake while sitting on her eggs. Inevitbaly some eggs got damaged and she had to dispense of them. Now she has only three and is still being attacked daily but she has learned new tactics. As soon as the male approaches she flies off the nest and, so far, has managed to save her remaining eggs over five days. Meanwhile, Silverduck (a pretty white hybrid female) and several drakes continue to harass Mrs. Speckles on her nest. Nature can be so cruel.

One of the mandarin ducks whose partner is now nesting nearby

Our pond showing signs of spring

I placed two waterlilies in the pond in early March as there had been no ducks or coots visiting it to damage the plants. I should have known better! Four days after planting, the ducks decided to see what was edible and I looked out one morning to see one of the lovely waterlilies floating at the surface and about to disappear down the cascade into the river. The other had been eaten. I shall have to find a way of protecting the plants from the ducks. At least Thunderthighs, the coot, isn't chomping his way through every green shoot. He's still alive but daren't venture into the dominant coots' territory. The garden birds, meanwhile, love bathing in the shallow areas and drinking at the pond. They are lovely to watch and their behaviour can sometimes be quite comical.

Florimania comes to Hampton Court Palace

Spring is a lovely time to visit Hampton Court Palace. There are delightful displays of flowers inside the palace during Florimania week and the wilderness gardens, close to the maze, are always stunning at this time of year. We're lucky to have such a magnificent historic building with its beautiful parks and gardens on our doorstep.

An aspect of the wilderness garden at the palace