Domesticity

There are so many birds here in the harbour area that I could easily overload the posts with pictures of them. I was delighted today to see mother duck with her 12 (count them, 12) ducklings, newly hatched last week and all of them still present and accounted for. There are 4 drakes that seem to have a shared interest in the family and stay close to her and the brood, which may explain their survival so far.

The geese are careful parents too, very protective of their young and of each other. Their reputation for being untidy neighbours is, alas, well-earned.

Particularly devoted partners and parents are the swans,

doing everything.....

....in synchrony

Up tails all!

And then there is the domestic partnership, blessed harmony on the home front between all the four-footed ones. Merry, the camera-shy newcomer, has settled in. She has taken to knocking my paintbrushes off the worktable at night - forgiven, so far.