About six weeks ago I noticed a mother Duck and about 12 of her ducklings, present themselves. Mother needless to say was very protective and she could hide all her dozen offsprings under her wings if someone approached them.
I watched from where I was sitting and occasionally I would go and observe them unobtrusively. I was able to witness the mother took them to teach them to swim ..
Suddenly one day, the mother was no more .. the ducklings were huddled together and i looked around for their mother. A neighbour informed me that the mother had been killed in an accident (probably trying to protect her little ones). I felt very sad. I would take some oats and spread it around their paths but even at that tender age they were self sufficient in survival techniques.
It has been a couple of weeks since the mother disappeared (not of her own volition, I am sure) and today I saw the nine siblings wandering around and it gave me such a great pleasure to observe them.
April 24, 2021
April 25, 2021
May 1, 2021
May 6, 2021
May 13, 2021. Learning to swim
May 14, 2021
May 21, 2021. Mother no longer present. But they had learned to cross the street
May 23, 2021 they are growing up , but always together, the brothers and sisters
Mother might have taught them to stick together through thick and thin?
May 24, 2021
May 26, 2021
may 31, 2021. they are growing up but they are still together..
It would be interesting to see when they will grow up and fall in love and leave the brood ? I am just imagining..
I would be looking out for them..
