The unseasonably warm weather has confused the Indian Runner ducks that live on the lake opposite the cottage here at Shamley Green in the Surrey Hills. On 16th December five ducklings hatched to a mother who had been patiently sitting on her eggs since November. In the UK the normal time for any bird to produce its offspring is between late March and May, but following one of the warmest Novembers on record, one Indian Runner clearly didn’t realise what time of year it was.
The ducklings are living on an island in the middle of the lake which provides some protection from predators. But at this time of the year they will need to watch out for a very cunning fox who got the better of ‘Lucy’, a rather large goose, in November. Then there are also three local buzzards, who are taking great interest.
The ducklings do, however, have mild weather on their site. This time last year temperatures were struggling to get above freezing at night. So far this year we have not seen a frost, with the mercury averaging around 6c at night and double figures during the day. The forecast into next week is for the mild weather to continue.
The duckings will become independent at around six weeks, when their chances of survival increase significantly. We’ll keep you posted on their progress.
