escape!!!

crossing a small wooden bridge over this burn i surprised a duck & her brood of 12.
she, good mother that she was, quacked in alarm & fled up stream.
11 of the ducklings huddled together &, raft-like, paddled away as fast as they could, keeping to the cover of the growth at the bank.
the 12th - the lateral, slightly autistic one - ran on the water in the opposite direction under the bridge, no doubt inwardly screaming! then s/he made its way back, looking for the crowd. when s/he couldn't find them, s/he crossed the stream diagonally, climbed the bank, & in full veiw of possible predators, s/he scuttled through the long grass & eventually re-enetred the stream & presumably there was a happy reunion among the little ones & mum!

it was just like a cartoon - didn't know ducklings could run ON the water!