Starting to look magnificent

Today was my last day at work until 13 January. Unfortunately I am on call for medicolegal matters all weekend. There haven't been many calls this week so far, and maybe that will continue. We had to try and ensure that there is the ability to admit acutely ill patients over the weekend, and were actually quite successful in doing so. With assessing the new admissions during this week, and reassessing those being discharged, it ended up being a very full day. Happy to be home. 

S needed some parmesan for the risotto; I volunteered to get some on my way back from Western Springs, where some bird photography would help me to wind down. 

I came across the putangitangi family (shown previously in an extra photo in October) between a main path and one of the smaller lakes (really a pond). All seven ducklings have now grown into adult-sized juveniles in just two months. the main photo is of one of the young males, whose colour is just developing. He already has the posture. 

Over by the edge of the pond, the male parent of the family was standing by himself. As I approached he called a slightly weak alarm, and didn't move. He looked old and tired. The female parent was in the middle of the seven youngsters. All took very little notice of my presence. Two months ago, they were little balls of patterned fluff. That all have grown to full size seems a great achievement.

The extra photo I'm posting today is of a muscovy/mallard hybrid, I think. There are features of both the muscovy and the mallard.