14 Wednesday May 2025
Posted in birds
I have decided that an appropriate caption for this photograph of these adorable Mallard ducklings, where one appears to be saying something to its sibling, might be: ‘Has she moved yet? This seems to have been going on forever!’
Well, little duckling, after two delays by my buyer, today is finally the day!
27 Thursday Jun 2024
Posted in birds
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, Coot, Coot chicks, Mallard, Mallard ducklings, Tufted ducklings
As well as the Red-eyed damselflies I wrote about yesterday, my wander around Cardiff’s inner city canals also produced sightings of some delightful young birds and I had a wonderful time watching their antics, and their interactions with each other and their parents.
Three tiny Coot chicks were having a little swim with their doting parents. The chicks looked very young, were still relying on their parents to feed them, and, after about 15 minutes, the parents took their little family back to the nearby nest to preen and rest.
There were also two broods of Mallards, both with their mothers supervising them as they whizzed along the canals, nibbling at the weed, wobbling across lily pads. One mother Mallard had a brood of four ducklings, the other just one surviving chick.
04 Saturday May 2024
On Tuesday we had Moorhen chicks. On Wednesday I noticed one of the pair of Great crested grebes was carrying two tiny chicks on its back, while the other parent was diving frequently for food to nourish their offspring.
And on Thursday, while I was spellbound by singing warblers at Cardiff Bay wetlands, a mother Mallard emerged from a reed-edged channel of water with her nine little ducklings in tow. Fortunately, she didn’t stay out of the water for long – despite being a designated nature reserve, many people still walk their dogs off the lead in the area, which could easily mean death for unwary ducklings.
02 Friday Jun 2023
Posted in birds
I don’t often venture to the lakeside nearest the entrance to Cosmeston Lakes Country Park (too many people), which is perhaps why I didn’t see these two broods of Mallard ducklings when they were younger (or their mothers may, previously, have been keeping them safely hidden in the reeds). One mother and her three youngsters were enjoying a snooze in the sunshine. The other, with her six ducklings (well done that mother!), was being a little more adventurous, perhaps hoping visitors would sprinkle some seed in the water for them all to feed on.
25 Monday Apr 2022
Posted in birds
Though Mallard ducklings were seen by other birders as early as the end of February, these little beauties were my first of the year. Eight little bundles of fluff and their mother were tucking in to a soggy slice of bread thrown to them by some boat owners in a local marina. Awwwwwww!
29 Thursday Jul 2021
Posted in birds
We all need a little cuteness from time to time, so I hope you enjoy this photo, taken recently at Forest Farm Nature Reserve, of Mrs Mallard and her three ducklings snoozing on a log on the Glamorgan Canal.
30 Thursday Apr 2020
Some days we all need a dose of cuteness!
31 Thursday May 2018
Tags
Azure damselfly, Bird’s-foot trefoil, Bugle, Common blue butterfly, Common whitethroat, Coot, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, cuckoo spit, Dingy Skipper, Flax, Hawthorn blossom, Large Red damselfly, Mallard ducklings, Scarlet pimpernel, Swallow, tadpoles
I literally dipped in and out of Cosmeston on 2 May, for a quick look at the dipping pond to see if I could spot any Water voles. I dipped on the voles but I did see Ma Mallard and her two gorgeous ducklings, and a gazillion tadpoles.
11 May I needed to stretch my legs after spending the previous day sorting out after my birding trip so off to Cosmeston I headed. I came in from the north end via Old Cogan farm, where a pair of Swallows was sitting on the wires. I suspect they nest in the old barn as I see them there often over the summer months.
Apart from those Swallows, it was quiet on the bird front and, as a cool wind was blowing, there were no butterflies about either. So, I took lots of photos of newly blooming wildflowers …
While doing that, I found an interesting little critter mooching around on some leaves (it looked like a weevil without a long snout but I haven’t positively identified it), and I spotted my first cuckoo spit of the season (I just know you’ll be delighted with that find!).
15 May A brief walk through on my way home from Lavernock. I wandered along the edges of Sully brook and then, once again, stopped for a few minutes at the dipping pond. The bad news was that mother Mallard only had one duckling remaining – fingers crossed it makes it to adulthood. The good news was that I saw my first damselflies for the year – both Azure and Large reds were out in numbers.
17 May I passed through Cossie again, this time on my way home from Sully. A Common whitethroat was showing well in the reeds near the cafe, and a Coot was shepherding her three young offspring around the west lake. The chicks were well developed, which bodes well for their survival.
20 May This time my 3-hour mooch was all concentrated at Cosmeston. I went early to avoid the Sunday crowds and the scorching sun, and walked the east and west paddocks from one end to the other and back again, along the various trails. I was looking particularly for orchids but saw only leaves, a few with the stalks of flower buds just emerging, and for butterflies. The Dingy skippers and Common blue butterflies were out in good numbers, and it was a pleasure to watch them flitting to and fro.
24 May I went early again to Cosmeston but not early enough, as the rain came in almost as soon as I arrived and I didn’t have a coat with me. I lingered long enough to enjoy the glorious Hawthorn blossom that covers the hedgerows like summer snow, before striding quickly homewards.
earthstar 
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