This morning we have had high drama on the river
A hungry heron has flown in and taken watch on a branch opposite us
One hungry heron pic.twitter.com/lEOvXmq5eE
— Henry Tapper (@henryhtapper) May 5, 2024
I have the job of feeding the ducks and geese and swans with special bird food. Despite the heron’s presence, I liberally distributed the pellets on the water.
I thought this was non-contentious but then disaster!
A little duck alone pic.twitter.com/HV0BgZh9tK
— Henry Tapper (@henryhtapper) May 4, 2024
A latch-key duckling arrived, without the protection of his Mum and Dad.
The heron fixed its gimlet eye on the vulnerable duckling, I feared the worst. At the moment when I thought all was lost, mother mallard flew in and took dead aim at the heron, nearly knocking the dread visitor off its perch.
The duckling swam fast to the safety of mum’s protective breast.
We threw stones at the heron and the heron flew off, The latch-key duckling lived to swim another day.
Duckling now under mother’s guard pic.twitter.com/WlKtJKK6Ee
— Henry Tapper (@henryhtapper) May 5, 2024
Lessons to be learned
- Do not feed the ducks when hungry heron’s in town
- Do not let it be known to duck-loving co-habitee that heron is in town
- Take full responsibility for safety of latch-key duckling when Mum is AWOL
I do not like to think of the consequences for the duckling if Mum had not turned up. I do not like to think of the state of my household had hungry heron not been driven away.
A lovely pensions parable, Henry