52 days old and, with the exception of Dot, they are all as big as Mum now although Dot is tyring really hard to catch them up.

Their flight feathers are developing well so we are likely to be moving them to their halfway home in around a week. They are foraging a lot more now and taking longer to consume the food we provide which gives hope for their continued development once they move on.

The lovely Sarah who takes them for us does continue to feed them for a few days but in reduced amounts to encourage self sufficiency. This is much easier for her to do than us as the quad is unable to provide enough to sustain 12 ducks without supplementary food.

Podgy Pidge is loving their newfound foraging skills as there are always some leftovers for him, and just like that, the diet is ruined.

In other news

A fledgling Starling made her way into DT this week. She was found on the corridor by the lift and photocopier, but which did she want to use. She was safely scooped up and taken to Mum who was waiting outside. I guess she was expecting to be in trouble with Mum because as soon as I let her go she made a beeline for the door trying to get back in.

Did you know

Ducklings can drown even though they can swim and float. Ducks have an oil gland at the base of their tails that produces the oil that makes them waterproof. When preening, adult ducks spread the oil over all their feathers to keep themselves dry and able to float. However, until they are fully feathered and their oil gland begins to work, ducklings can only stay afloat for small periods of time.

The oldest living duck on record is Desi, a Mallard female in Britain. She was reported to be twenty years old when she died.

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