Sole Survivor

[fotografr]

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We've had a mallard hen and drake hanging around in our back garden for a few weeks and figured they were nesting somewhere back there but had no idea where. Today the hen showed up with what appears to be her only survivor from the brood. We have Cooper's Hawks in the area and I suspect one found the nest.

M10M, 90mm Elmarit

 

 

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Edited May 17, 2020 by fotografr

[Boojay]

Natures hard isn't it, everything has to eat I guess but it breaks your heart if you think about it too much.  This morning had me clearing up in the back garden after a Buzzard's Pigeon kill and two days ago we had to deal with a young fallow deer killed on the road at the front of our house.  Hoping the little duckling gets to grow up a bit.

[gbealnz]

Unsubstantiated myth perhaps, but we always felt the eels got them in the creeks etc as well, and by the size of some of the eels, it is plausible.

Good to see one making it's way in the world though, just the same.

[fotografr]

34 minutes ago, gbealnz said:

Unsubstantiated myth perhaps, but we always felt the eels got them in the creeks etc as well, and by the size of some of the eels, it is plausible.

Good to see one making it's way in the world though, just the same.

Yes, very believable about the eels. Everything in New Zealand waters seems to grow larger than most other places. Trout, for example.

[fotografr]

46 minutes ago, Boojay said:

Natures hard isn't it, everything has to eat I guess but it breaks your heart if you think about it too much.  This morning had me clearing up in the back garden after a Buzzard's Pigeon kill and two days ago we had to deal with a young fallow deer killed on the road at the front of our house.  Hoping the little duckling gets to grow up a bit.

I agree. It's very difficult to see the young and weak in nature taken out of the population. I have to keep reminding myself of Darwin's theory.

[andybarton]

We have a Sparrow Hawk that took two out of three blackbird youngsters within a week in our garden. Fortunately, so far, Nr 3 is still with us.

[stuny]

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Very nice

[fotografr]

5 hours ago, andybarton said:

We have a Sparrow Hawk that took two out of three blackbird youngsters within a week in our garden. Fortunately, so far, Nr 3 is still with us.

Fingers crossed for Nr 3.  Not long ago I saw a hawk perched on a branch in our garden with a chickadee in it's talons. That was hard to take because I very nearly had chickadees taking seed right out of my hand.