New born duckling

This little fellow was only the second baby duck to hatch this year on Church Farm in Hertfordshire.

When I saw him first, he had just freed himself from the shell, a task which takes several exhausting hours.

After a few hours visiting Chris and Jane in Braughing I went back to see how he was.

Feathers were beginning to dry and he had started calling encouragement to brothers and sisters chipping their way to freedom.