Mallard surprise

[Joyce Riley]

Whilst talking to my next door neighbour earlier this evening I was disturbed by another neighbour's dog chasing something that flew over my head. The flying object turned out to be a female Mallard which soon returned to my garden and I saw it join up with a chick. I live on the estate by Parklands School and my garden overlooks part of the woodlands of Astley Park. Mallard are occasionally seen in the gardens, especially when they are disturbed by events in the Park. The neighbour who I was talking to then told me that a pair of Mallard had attempted to nest under a bush in his garden, laying 11 eggs. One morning he noticed broken egg shells scattered around and thought that a Magpie (one of the many we get around our gardens) had found the nest and had broken the eggs but maybe they had hatched successfully and my sighting today had been of the nesting female with one of its chicks!