The duckings have, since I first brought them to the allotment, stayed of their own accord on the half of the plot that does not include the pond. You may recall that the pond was cleaned and extended in preparation for the arrival of the ducklings. Instead, they have used the water bowls as miniponds. To introduce them to the pond, last week I put the duckling house next to the pond and opened the door so that the ducklings came straight out onto the water. The ducklings as expected came out, went straight onto the pond, enjoyed themselves for a few minutes and then made a run for it back to their usual side of the allotment when the adults turned up.
They have not returned and it leaves me with a problem of ensuring they have an area of water for paddling, swimming, wading and generally making a mess. I have long term plans to put another pond on the allotment so I may have to bring this forward. Given the complete absence of any rain this month however, filling it is going to be something of a problem. I bring water to the allotment 3 or 4 times a day, nearly all of which is used for the poultry or the greenhouse and polytunnels. Digging a new pond in the middle of a heatwave is not exactly the best proposal I have come up with!
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