There Once was an Ugly Duckling -

and Eleven other Siblings too!

This story is not about an ugly duckling (they are all too cute) turning into a beautiful swan as the children’s story is told, but of a mother duck, who for the second year running, decided to make her nest in our garden and hatch her twelve chicks away from the dangers of the big wide park nearby.

For many weeks she sat on the nest incubating her clutch of eggs. At first she would fly off when anyone passed by on the garden path but soon we gained her trust and she would sit tight no matter what, braving the elements of the rather unwanted cool spring weather.

This photo essay unfolds on the day they hatched, when for some strange reason Mrs Mallard decided that her twelve babies were to explore the higher regions of the garden which entailed scaling four large steps (well twice the height of the little chicks who were just hours old). For over thirty minutes mother duck patiently taught her kids by demonstration and encouragement,  praising each one as they finally made it.

Eventually, just two remained at the bottom and several on the last jump, each too exhausted to continue making the gigantic leaps and flaps required to reach to the top.  Never fear, good old Uncle Richard was at hand with an ingenious plan which ended in total success and later on he  also arranged some special transport to their new home destination - the park lake and a ‘happy ever after’ ending...