A mucky duck

The mallard with the creamy tail, the one that's been sitting on eggs in the riverside nest box, is being attacked inside her box by a rival drake.  Today she was driven off so often that she abandoned all thoughts of 'sitting' on the eggs.  I hope she doesn't give up on them but this rogue drake is very persistent and enters the nest and attacks her/drags her out at least five or six times a day.

She and her hybrid partner came for a snack and to dabble in the pond and then she discovered my trug filled with pond silt.  Duck heaven!  She spent ages with her beak immersed in the muddy silt, digging out small aquatic creatures like pond snails and, by the time she had finished her beak and head feathers were decidedly mucky.

When this duck senses danger she flares her creamy tail and we have decided to rename her Flare Tail.

 Flare Tail grubbing in our silt filled trug

I was quite worried the other day because a rogue red crested pochard turned up and spent the whole time trying to attack the lone female pochard.  In spite of her partner's efforts and attempts by the spare pochard to protect her the intruder was most persistent and, in the end, the female disappeared and her boys spent most of the evening looking for her.

Fortunately she was fine and turned up next morning with her partner and the spare!

 The plumage of red crested pochards is striking

Squeaks, the Aylesbury duck, was attacked again yesterday by the smaller male white hybrid duck. Her escorts did their best to protect her and each one grabbed the white duck by the neck to force him off Squeaks.  They succeeded at least five times but, as soon as they released the white drake it attacked Squeaks again.  He is a very determined drake!  Poor Squeaks has an almost red raw neck now where her feathers have been grabbed by the males when mating with her.

Squeaks escapes for a few moments from her white male tormentor