I’ve been to north Cardiff, to the Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs, a few times recently – about which more anon – and each time I’ve visited I’ve been captivated by a resident family of Tufted ducks.

These ducks don’t often breed locally but, this summer, a pair hatched six ducklings from a nest on one of the artificial islands in Lisvane reservoir.

Unfortunately, I missed seeing them when they were very young – I’m told they looked like six tiny bundles of fluff, which would’ve been wonderful to see.

In the photos shown here, they are about 4½ weeks old so almost fully fledged, but still showing a little of their baby fluff and downy feathers.

No one’s quite sure whether all six ducklings have survived. That might sound odd but, as they are no longer sticking together in one family group, and the reservoir’s quite large, it’s difficult to check all their locations at one time. I spotted four individuals during this particular visit, and a local birder told me he thinks there are still at least five, which is a very good survival rate. Mum and Dad Tufted duck have obviously done an excellent job raising, instructing, and watching over their little family.