I got a great surprise this morning. I was gardening and nearly walked on my Australian Wood Ducks. I have been feeding them for several months but - what I didn't expect - was the six ducklings with them.
I have not identified where they were nesting but at dusk when they flew off they were still flying quite a large distance before they disappeared. I am fairly certain they would have walked them several hundred yards to reach my yard across two roads.
They nest high up in hollow trees and the young fall to the ground to leave the nest. The ducklings are so cute. Now there are weeks of surviving feral cats and careless drivers to come.
The problem is they will curtail my movements while gardening and I am going to have to fence more plants off. They quite like daylilies.
PS. Which is no trouble compared to the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos deflowering my marigolds, everlasting daisies and grevilleas and part of a handrail this morning.
