Into the deep end

I spent a lovely couple of hours in the nature reserve with a friend, working. It's the best place to have a work meeting! We were distracted by the sudden arrival of a female mallard, who flew down onto the pond. A moment later, her chicks popped up onto the deck, but they couldn't figure out where their mum had gone, except for one bright chick that jumped into the pond straight away. After much quacking, the chicks rushed forward to where their mum was patiently waiting, all legs and a couple of tumbles. There were then long moments of anxiety before, one by one, they took a leap of faith into the water. Even ducklings need to conquer their fear of a high dive into deep water.


squirrel!