The oldest of our ducklings are discovering their wings and we are now at that time of the year when the barn and stable roofs are the places to be. At 10-12 weeks old, primary feathers are wonderfully developed and the female ducks in particular are getting very proficient at flying straight up onto the buildings. Two or three have even started to sleep on the stable roof at night.
It's a fabulous sight: pristine ducks against a cloudless blue sky, surveying their queendoms and kingdoms and wondering whether with a good launch, they could make it straight over to the next roof without landing (the answer is usually 'yes')! The barn roof guttering in particular has rich pickings with old leaf litter to sift through to find all manner of tasty morsels.
It really is a duck’s life!!!!