TALES FROM THE BUSH
Five little ducks
A chance encounter with some wild babies in need of a parent
IT WAS JUST AFTER DAWN ON the Norfolk coast and five abandoned shelduck chicks were huddled in the wet grass on the dunes, shivering.
The Norfolk coast is a patchwork of saltmarsh, shingle and sand dunes – a haven for wildlife. The breeding seasons of many species are played out on open beaches, but some are more secretive.
For several summers I had the privilege of working as a National Trust ranger on Blakeney Point. Home for our team was the former Lifeboat House. Skylarks and meadow pipits nest amongst the grasses and we would carefully find their nests, recording when eggs hatched and young fledged, but it took some time before we saw those first ‘shelducklings’.
Falling somewhere between a duck and a goose, the black-and-white waterfowl nests in the safety of old rabbit burrows here, laying eight to ten eggs underground. When the chicks hatch, their parents lead them to the safety of the saltmarsh early in the morning. However, these five were orphaned – maybe their parents had been spooked by a predator and scurried off with only some of their brood.
As if the cute ducklings weren’t already enough to make my heart melt, they began following me. Like a benevolent Pied Piper, I led them to the Lifeboat House. We lined a box with cotton wool, towels and a hot water bottle for warmth. Having responded to me like I was their mother, I had a strong sense of affection and protection for my newly adopted flock, but knew that we didn’t have the skills or equipment required to raise these fluffy humbugs, so we put them on a ferry to the mainland to be cared for by the RSPCA.
Every day that followed, I would think about ‘my’ chicks. Nine long weeks later, news reached us that two had survived to be released in north-west Norfolk.
A few years later, I found myself monitoring nest cameras for Springwatch in north-west Norfolk. The shelduck cam was naturally my favourite! I looked at their legs for rings, which would reveal if they were rescued birds. They weren’t. But I had the joy of being behind the cameras when the chicks emerged, watching excitedly as the parents led them to the marsh. A euphoric moment, shared with the nation.
Have a wild tale to tell? Email a brief synopsis to catherine.smalley@ourmedia.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ajay Tegala is a wildlife presenter and author of The Unique Life of a Ranger, available from Waterstones and Amazon. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @AjayTegala.