Muddle

Remember this wee chap?

He's the only one we have left of the ducklings we hatched two years ago. We lost 7 out of our ten ducks two winters ago to what we think was an outbreak of duck meningitis (or some other very nasty virus). Muddle was the only one of that years brood that survived.

Two years on and he's a bit of a dandy. Glossy black with green and purple playing over his feathers. He happily struts his stuff, looking all macho... then runs for cover when a paper bag is blown past, one of the hens puts him in his place or a sparrow coughs too loudly.

Most of the time though, he just snoozes in the sunshine. Something I am off to do myself.