Goosle Gosling Watch 2013: Sad News

:-(

I visited Eagle Pond first thing this morning on the way for coffee with my mother, and Mr. and Mrs. Goosle were together but not in their usual meeting place; we went around, and Mrs. Goosle wasn't honking softly to herself or eating urgently, but was just standing by the water. Mr. Goosle was being very irritable and was chuntering even though we weren't that close.
I found it unsettling; did that mean she'd given up on her eggs and nest?! We decided that we would return in the afternoon to see whether things were back to normal then. *Sigh* As soon as we arrived, we could see Mr. and Mrs. Goosle together. She was standing by the water (on the opposite side of the pond from where they'd been in the morning) and he was standing by her side being protective. He was still irritable, and 'though my mother offered food (Mrs. is looking very small), she didn't eat much.

It is so sad; she had been nesting for a surprisingly long time (probably 5 weeks now), but this must mean that she was either disturbed and abandoned the nest, or that she has realised that the eggs are either unfertilised or haven't survived. It is tragic that she put in such effort, looking after the eggs for more than a month, and yet they didn't succeed.
It's nature of course, but sad nonetheless.

So, the pickmeup for the day is a picture of the 5 mallardlings exploring the pond on their second day, which I've posted to blipfolio here.

p.s. Mr. Goosle is behind (out of focus); Mrs. is the one looking towards us.