A Cotswold Year - Charting the seasons in the South Cotswolds


Wednesday 28 March 2012

Ducklings

Today at Slimbridge WWT we spotted our first family of mallard ducks. Mallards pair up in autumn and start nesting in early March, incubating the eggs for around 28 days. There were twelve little ducklings with mum and dad taking in the sun's rays in a sheltered spot. Ducklings stay near to the mother duck so that they can learn where to forage for food as well as keep warm and protected. The drake apparently stays around at this stage of the season as the pair may have a later brood, especially if the first one is predated. Drakes are typically not involved in helping to rear the youngsters.
We also saw our first Swallow flying low over South Lake collecting water. Summer it seems, is just around the corner.

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