Duck Tales and Gates Galore

We have enjoyed watching a family of Paradise ducks who have been living on our dam during the Spring. Mum & Dad are regulars and have been living here for a number of years and although they are usually quite wary if we get too close, they will let you drive past on the tractor without too much drama. This year they had 8 ducklings and they seem to have all survived until now, unlike the poor old Mallard ducks who are continually harassed by the resident "Darth Vader" a large Hawk who also resides close by. The Hawk swoops down on the little ducklings and seems to ignore the racket that the adult birds make when in any danger.

Beware, Ducks on the move!

The Paradise ducks are quite large and they make a huge noise if they are in danger and they are extremely protective of their ducklings throughout their family life. The poor old Mallards also have to contend with eels and other dangerous critters such as rats and possums and even Pukekos, who terrorise these birds any chance they get. I have seen adult Pukekos grab a duckling and rip it apart in a very short space of time. The Hawks also love pukeko chicks, so the dam can be quite a dangerous place for little birds. The ducks might have up to 10 ducklings and yet after a week, there might only be two left and sometimes none. Once I was watching the little "speed boats" zipping around the dam, when all of a sudden there was a splash and the duckling just disappeared under the water. One hungry eel was probably the reason. A Maori chap used to have a licence to catch the eels in our river, but I haven't seen him for a few years.

The Duck Water Trough

Now that we have had the Contractor in to do some grading and filling holes in the driveway etc, we asked if he could fill in front of the concrete cattle water troughs, where the cattle over the years have pugged out the area and made it difficult for calves to get water easily. He did a great job and the new herd enjoy climbing the new gravel slope and drinking water without any height problems. The Ducks enjoy the new facility too! Once they have finished lazing around the dam all day, they head for their night quarters (an old hay barn) and after a rest in the orchard on the way home, they now head straight for the trough. Mum or Dad take turns to watch over them and it is hilarious watching the ducklings line the trough edge and merrily drink away. 

Talk about mod cons!

Our new head bail

The proposed renovation of the kitchen has taken a step backward as we have had another local fencing contractor in to install our new cattle race and head bail in the yards. The recent drama with the heifers and their eye injections became quite a trial and we decided to install these extras to make it easier in the future when handling cattle of any size. It is all finished now, has been christened and will add value to our homestead.

Kelly "Our Vet"

 

 

The only problem will be that if it is used, it will also mean another account from the Vet Clinic! Our contractor also had to install a couple of gates, so the cattle yards are a maze of gates (timber and metal) and I mentally calculated how much was coming out of the kitchen reno fund. At that point I grabbed a book and a cold beer and adjourned to the lounge.