‘The Little Lost Duckling’

This little duckling (only a few days old) got separated from its mother and sibling during a furious territorial dispute with the older family of ducklings on the pond.

It had retreated from the swooping seagulls to a sheltered spot, some distance away, wedged between the shore and the little jetty, where we found it.

The mother seemed quite indifferent to her chick’s predicament but, eventually, after some coaxing of each of them with some encouraging words (and - perhaps more importantly - some gentle prodding and a trail of carefully placed feed!), they were reunited! (See extra photos)