Learning from ducks

My latest project is to bring ducks to our pond. So this is the first step in what I think will be a long story. We have a large pond it is the most beautiful part of our garden and the plants around the edges make it look quite natural. Its home to lots of plants, fish and insects, three coots and periodically some wild ducks (mallards). We also have a heron who visits most days and in the breeding season a pair of Canada Geese rear their chicks. In spite of all this life it often looks quite empty so I thought I would try and introduce some pairs of breeding ducks.

After some searches on the internet I discovered someone close by who wanted to sell some ducks and got in touch. She responded and came to look at the garden and pond. She was very fond of her ducks and wanted to make sure they were coming to a good home. She liked the pond and give me advice on building a fox proof shelter.

​I set about building the shelter with my grandson and we were pleased with the result. The lady brought her ducks – 2 white female Cambells and a grey Swedish Blue drake. She put them in the newly constructed pen and told me to keep them in the pen for a couple of days which I did. On the third day I opened the doors and expected them to rush out and jump into the pond which was only a few metres away but they didn’t want to venture out. I didn’t want to push them out for fear that they wouldn’t want to come back so I tried leaving the doors open the next day but they refused to come out. On the fifth day I decided to coax them out with a stick and they immediately jumped in the pond and they have been there ever since. Of course they did not come back to the cosy shelter I had made full of food rather, they camped on the side of the pond where any fox could take them. I was quite troubled by this and my sense of responsibility caused me to build another wooden shelter, much smaller than the first and put it close to where the ducks had decided to camp. Much less secure than the first shelter I wrapped some netting around it with lots of dogwood branches thinking any fox is going to have to make quite a lot of noise to get to them and this might give them time to escape. My next bit of observing is to see if they will use the shelter which means trying to observe what they do after it has gone dark. I went out this evening in the dark only to find them floating on the pond. I came back a read that ducks are partly nocturnal and they are often active at night. I also read that they can sleep with one eye open and only half their brain shut down and as there are 3 of them they could sleep in such a way as to be aware of night predators which was provided a little comfort.
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These ducks have been reared in a pen in a garden and have not had to forage for food consequently I assumed that they would need help to survive in the more dangerous world of the pond and its environs. But their behaviour since coming out of the pen was as if they have never been in captivity. I think they are probably better able to looking after themselves than I thought and I am heartened by the fact that they get into the water if there is any sign of danger i.e me. I think I have quite a lot of watching to do in order to learn what I have to do to help them survive and flourish.