DUCK ISLAND IN CARRBROOK VILLAGE

Aylesbury Ducks
Mallard Ducks
Brent Geese
Canada Geese
Photographs
Did You Know? Duck Island was built as a reservoir for the old Buckton Vale Works?

	Aylesbury Ducks
Temperament :Lazy, eating machines who enjoy their pond
They are one of the larger duck breeds and as such must have good access to water for mating on as they are too heavy and ungainly to mate successfully on land. For good fertility they need a rich and varied diet with plenty of greens as they are not as hardy as the other large breed possibly through a narrower gene pool due to their popularity as an exhibition bird.
The ducks lay in November, it takes 28 days for an egg to produce and the ducklings are eight week-old in February.
Before the 18th century there was little domesticated breeding of ducks and any farmyard duck was similar to the wild mallard. But by the 18th century selective breeding had started and a white domestic duck emerged.
History According to Lewis Wright in the 1880's the aylesbury duck is of the purest white and the beak of a delicate flesh colour . Historically they were walked from the Vale of Aylesbury to London (40 miles). The Inns they stopped the night at allowed the birds to be kept in large enclosed yards and in the morning the birds were driven through a cold sticky tarry solution in a shallow ditch and then through a layer of sawdust. This made somewhat crude shoes to protect their feet for the day and the next night this was repeated with a charge of a few birds at each stop. The alternative was to try to camp on the common and stop the local poachers from removing a few for the pot.
By the 19th century, almost everyone who lived in the "Duck End" of Aylesbury was a ducker, a poor, crowded part of town. The residents living almost on top of each other, and the ducks were reared inside the already damp, cottages, a habit unique to Aylesbury. There are tales of duckers who would take their ducklings to bed to keep the young birds warm, guess what the inside of the cottages must have been like with unhouse-trained ducks running about!
The ducks themselves would not be allowed to sit on their eggs, hens would be used instead. The hatched ducklings were coddled, first covered with soft yellow down and looked in small groups of about 30. In duck psychology they feel better and happier in small groups. Every bird needs grit to break up the food and make it digestible and the Aylesbury duck was given a special type of grit found not far from Aylesbury. Due to this grit the Aylesbury duck developed its characteristic flesh coloured bill. The ducks were allowed to paddle in a very shallow trough but real swimming was banned in fear that the little investment might drown.
Due to crowded and unsanitary conditions in "Duck End" the soil eventually became contaminated, causing an outbreak of "Duck Fever". The passing of the pure Aylesbury Duck occurred in the 1870s. In 1873 the Pekin Duck was brought to Britain from China. It, too, was a white duck and was a prolific layer and it was found to cross well with the Aylesbury. By the Second World War, ducking in and around Aylesbury had almost vanished and by the 1950s the pure Aylesbury duck had virtually disappeared.

	Mallards Anas Platyrhynchos
Residents of Duck Island and can be seen all year round. They may be joined by some migrants, that breed in northern Europe, Scandinavia, Arctic Russia and Iceland, that may spend the winter here.
Did You Know? Mallards have a lifespan of 29 years All modern domestic ducks (apart from the muscovy) are descended from the wild mallard which was first domesticated in China or south-east Asia over 2,000 years ago The female is mainly brown with an orange bill You will hear the female 'quack' The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body The male makes a quieter, low, 'crrib' Ducks could live without swimming, but it helps prevent diseases from occurring, and - because it also keeps them clean, prevents smells. Stagnant water is a nasty for them.
Feeding ducks is popular but can cause problems, The population of ducks on a pond and the food supply are very closely linked. If the food supply remains reliable and adequate the population can increase from year to year. More food means more mallards. Mallards are dabbling ducks, and get much of their food from close to the water's surface. They often upend to reach morsels a little deeper down, but rarely dive. They also feed on land, grazing grass and other plant matter, eat seeds, acorns and berries, insects, shellfish, slugs, snails, grasshoppers, cooked potatoes and potato & apple skins galore! (no stones), duck pellets. It's VERY important not to let your ducks eat mouldy, wet or old feed. Things not to feed your ducks, bread, yes its true, because it is made from yeast and yeast is a type of fungi and fungi is a mould. Ducks are very weak against moulds which is a huge killer in ducks. A little bit now and then is fine, but bread alone or included as a main part in a meal isn't a good idea at all.
Ducks and the Law Mallards and their nests are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to kill, injure or take any wild bird, or take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. If you find a nest full of eggs, you must not interfere with them.
Breeding Mallards start to pair up in October and November, and start to nest near water in March. it is important not to chase away a duck that has started nesting, since she must be allowed access to her nest. A nest is built from leaves and grasses and lined with down plucked from the female breast. The laying period is very stressful for the female - she lays more than half her body weight in eggs in a couple of weeks. She needs a lot of rest and depends heavily on her mate to protect her and their feeding and loafing areas. Eggs are laid between mid-March and the end of July. The normal clutch is about 12 eggs, laid at one to two day intervals. After each egg is added, the clutch is covered to protect it from predators.
Incubation As the last egg is laid the female starts to incubate. Ducks are very secretive and are often incubating before anyone is aware, she must be left alone and be able to find food for herself. The female sits very tightly, and her brown plumage blends her perfectly to the background. She rarely leaves the nest apart from short breaks to feed and stretch her legs. Incubation is 27-28 days days. If you find a nestful of duck eggs, leave it well alone - it is unlikely to have been abandoned.
Hatching About 28 days later the eggs hatch together. This takes about 24 hours. The ducklings stay in the nest for at least 10 hours while they dry and get used to using their legs. Then, usually in the early morning, the female leads them to water. The sooner the ducklings get to water to feed, the better their chances of survival. The mother duck knows where the nearest water is to take her young to. It is best to leave her alone, because interference can risk the mother panicking and abandoning her brood. The nest is abandoned, although if it is close to the feeding area, the family may continue to use it for brooding and roosting.
Ducklings normally stand together in a tight bunch and can feed themselves as soon as they reach water, but must learn what is edible. They depend on their mother for warmth for a few days. She broods them regularly, particularly at night, as they easily chill in cold weather. The down of the ducklings is not naturally waterproof. They get the waterproofing for their down from their mother. She also protects her ducklings from attacks by other mallards. Ducks do not tolerate stray ducklings close to their own brood. Ducklings take 50-60 days to fledge (fly) and become independent. They are able to breed when they are a year old.
Males Their role is almost over once the clutch is laid. The males gradually loses interest and joins other males to moult. Ducks are peculiar in that they mould all their flight feathers at once. For about a month they are flightless. For the brightly coloured males their bright body feathers are replaced by dowdy brown ones, making them look much like females. This is why in mid-summer it seems that all the drakes have gone. By October the full colours have been regained and the various species of ducks are easily recognisable again.

	Brent Geese Branta Bernicla
AKA Dark-bellied brent goose, Light-bellied brent goose. A small, dark goose - the same size as a mallard. It has a black head and neck and grey-brown back, with either a pale or dark belly, depending on the race. Adults have a small white neck patch. It flies in loose flocks along the coast, rather than in tight skeins like grey geese. Important numbers are found at just a few sites.
Did you know? The word brent is derived from a Norse word 'brand', meaning burnt. Vital Statistics Eggs: 3-5 Incubation: 24-26 days Lifespan: 19 years
Breeding Arctic tundra with shallow pools, usually near to the sea.
Wintering Estuaries and shallow coasts with mudflats. Also grazes on fields near the coast.
Where to see it Estuaries and saltmarshes. Main concentrations of dark-bellied birds in the Wash, the North Norfolk coastal marshes, Essex estuaries, the Thames Estuary and Chichester and Langstone Harbours. Most light-bellied birds are found at Strangford Lough and Lough Foyle, N Ireland and at Lindisfarne, Northumberland.
What does it eat? Vegetation, especially eel-grass.
What does it sound like? Babbling calls from a flock.
When to see it Birds arrive in October and depart again in March

	Canada Geese Branta Canadensis
A large goose, with a distinctive black head and neck and large white throat patch. An introduced species from N America, it has successfully spread to cover most of the UK. It forms noisy flocks and is often regarded as a nuisance in areas where large numbers occur on amenity grassland and parks.
Vital Statistics Eggs: 5-6 Incubation: 28-30 days Fledging: 40-48 days Lifespan: 23 years
Where does it live?
Breeding In short vegetation near pools and lakes - likes islands in lakes and gravel pits. Some nest on moorland.
Wintering Same as breeding.
Where to see it A familiar goose seen around lakes, gravel pits and town parks.
What does it eat? Vegetation - roots, grass, leaves and seeds.
What does it sound like? Loud 'honking' calls.
When to see it All year round. In winter, occasional birds of small races are seen with other wild geese species in N Ireland and W Scotland, and may be vagrant wild birds

Photographs