An almost happy story!

[Dave Payne]

Stood out on the rear deck last night having a smoke and heard the ducks going a bit mental, looked over and saw five males chasing one poor little female, i know its the season! Then heard little ducklings going mental also, as my rear deck backs onto lock 7 at Atherstone i am a few feet away from the pond, had a look and two little fellas were swimming around and could not get out...

 

They had dropped down the overflow bit, not sure what you call it but it looks like a little waterfall, the mother duck could get out and was trying to lead them out, so i grabbed my plank and dropped it in, the mother came up and stood near me watching, first little duckling spotted the plank and wobbled up it and over my arms to its mother, 2nd one went the other way, at this point the mother and first duckling jumped back in... so started again, managed to lift both of the ducklings out this time and they legged it off to be with mother.

 

Took me about an hour of faffing and a couple of dog walkers were giving me funny looks, but it felt awesome to get them out and back to mother!

 

Unfortunatly one little fella didn't make it and i guess the waterfall drowned it..

 

But two out of three aint bad.

 

I swear they quacked 'thanks' at me as they went past....

[Athy]

A two-thirds happy story! - which, as you imply, is better than no happy story at all.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Athy

[Bobbin]

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's so nice to know you care about the wildlife, so often people forget that we are living in their environment.

[Jack48]

Stood out on the rear deck last night having a smoke and heard the ducks going a bit mental, looked over and saw five males chasing one poor little female, i know its the season! Then heard little ducklings going mental also, as my rear deck backs onto lock 7 at Atherstone i am a few feet away from the pond, had a look and two little fellas were swimming around and could not get out...

 

They had dropped down the overflow bit, not sure what you call it but it looks like a little waterfall, the mother duck could get out and was trying to lead them out, so i grabbed my plank and dropped it in, the mother came up and stood near me watching, first little duckling spotted the plank and wobbled up it and over my arms to its mother, 2nd one went the other way, at this point the mother and first duckling jumped back in... so started again, managed to lift both of the ducklings out this time and they legged it off to be with mother.

 

Took me about an hour of faffing and a couple of dog walkers were giving me funny looks, but it felt awesome to get them out and back to mother!

 

Unfortunatly one little fella didn't make it and i guess the waterfall drowned it..

 

But two out of three aint bad.

 

I swear they quacked 'thanks' at me as they went past....

Your my Hero

[PaulG]

Arrived at work one morning last year and there was a mallard leading her ducklings around the car park.

Went out at lunchtime, and all the ducklings - every single one - had managed to fall down a road drain. Bugger!

Luckily we have a local wildlife rescue place, and happily they were prepared to come out and perform a rescue.

Wouldn't have fancied trying it myself as being kack-handed, it would probable have been curtains for the ducklings...

 

(edted due to mssing chractrs)

Edited April 19, 2016 by PaulG

[Dave Payne]

Your my Hero

 

 

No, your my hero!

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's so nice to know you care about the wildlife, so often people forget that we are living in their environment.

 

Bingo, i love the whole boating life, love what is around me .....

 

I nearly squashed a duck the other week, was pulling up to the bank and it came down the inside of me, was very very close to being a lot thinner, would have killed me that!

[PaulG]

Stood out on the rear deck last night having a smoke and heard the ducks going a bit mental, looked over and saw five males chasing one poor little female, i know its the season! Then heard little ducklings going mental also, as my rear deck backs onto lock 7 at Atherstone i am a few feet away from the pond, had a look and two little fellas were swimming around and could not get out...

 

They had dropped down the overflow bit, not sure what you call it but it looks like a little waterfall, the mother duck could get out and was trying to lead them out, so i grabbed my plank and dropped it in, the mother came up and stood near me watching, first little duckling spotted the plank and wobbled up it and over my arms to its mother, 2nd one went the other way, at this point the mother and first duckling jumped back in... so started again, managed to lift both of the ducklings out this time and they legged it off to be with mother.

 

Took me about an hour of faffing and a couple of dog walkers were giving me funny looks, but it felt awesome to get them out and back to mother!

 

Unfortunatly one little fella didn't make it and i guess the waterfall drowned it..

 

But two out of three aint bad.

 

I swear they quacked 'thanks' at me as they went past....

Also a "greenie" awarded for services to wildlife...

Edited April 19, 2016 by PaulG

[Dave Payne]

Only one left tonight, started out as twelve... Sad times.

[Opener]

We spent a few days moored in Skipton last year and I was sent out to get the morning newspaper. I found that a rather aggressive swan had set up a checkpoint on the towpath opposite the Springs Branch and was terrorising one poor teenager who needed to get past. I had a word and reminded it that you can break a swan's wing with a man's arm. The poor girl managed to slip past while we were in negotiations.

On the way back it was still there but agreed to let me pass on condition that I didn't slap it round the chops with a rolled up newspaper.

Ain't wildlife along the cut fun!?

[matty40s]

Only one left tonight, started out as twelve... Sad times.

Unfortunately, you will also find that this early in the season, the drakes will also kill the chicks so they can have their brood with the duck. I was protecting a brood with a catapult and frozen peas last April as the drakes were trying to drown or break the necks of the lot.

[Suzie_q]

We rescued a squirrel that fell in the cut at darlow lock a couple of years ago.

 

It got itself to the side of the lock and we dangled the centre line down to it.

It grabbed the robe, charged up it, stopped at the top to nod it's thanks then ran off into the lock cottages garden.

[Bunny]

Have rescued 2 sheep , 2 weasels, a rabbit ( lived with us for 2:years ) and a pigeon . But not all at the same time . Bunny.

[Rojo]

Have rescued 2 sheep , 2 weasels, a rabbit ( lived with us for 2:years ) and a pigeon . But not all at the same time . Bunny.

And I had visions of you with a sheep under each arm, a rabbit under your jumper and a pigeon on your head as you climbed out of the canal;----then I read the last part of your post.

[BlueStringPudding]

Aw. Well done

[Sea Dog]

We spent a few days moored in Skipton last year and I was sent out to get the morning newspaper. I found that a rather aggressive swan had set up a checkpoint on the towpath opposite the Springs Branch and was terrorising one poor teenager who needed to get past. I had a word and reminded it that you can break a swan's wing with a man's arm. The poor girl managed to slip past while we were in negotiations.

On the way back it was still there but agreed to let me pass on condition that I didn't slap it round the chops with a rolled up newspaper.

Ain't wildlife along the cut fun!?

Yep, they do have a lot to say sometimes and are full of bluster but, when it comes down to it, they know that breaking human limbs with their wings is just an old wives tale. It's clever of them to keep us believing it, but they value their power of flight too much to put it at risk just to be awkward.

[cheshire~rose]

It gives you a lovely warm feeling to have helped even if they don't make it. Well done!

 

My daughter has been busy doing her "bit" recently too. She had a couple of pedigree rabbits which got used to having free run of their garden (best part of an acre) after they escaped once too often while they were in Bulgaria. The bunnies were more than a bit miffed at being confined to a run when they arrived back in the UK and it did not take long for them to get back into the acting out "The Great Escape"

 

They were well used to fending for themselves so she allowed them to roam but got them used to coming home at night time so she knew they were tucked up in the hutch safe and sound.

 

A few months later and the female started showing signs of being pregnant. Her male rabbit had been "done" so she knew that any offspring would be not be pedigree! The babies arrived and all was fine until one day Mum rabbit did not return home. It seems that in these circumstances sometimes "mum" will come back and feed the babies in the night and so human intervention is to be avoided to start with but my daughter put some of "mums" favourite food in the nest box and 24 hours later it had not been touched so a decision was made to try and save the babies.

The next period was a busy time for her with seven hungry little bunnies to feed with a pipette. They all survived and, once they were weaned it was time to allow them to experience the big wide world and so the run was left open and she spent some time watching them explore, meet with her surviving male rabbit who paid a visit and taking some lovely photos of them. She was feeling satisfied that she had managed to save them. She knew they had to take their chances in the wild but she had given them a chance and felt good about it. ...

 

 

Then the kestrel swooped and carried one off, it's little legs flapping

 

She knew it would happen but I wish the kestrel could have just waited until she was out of the way!

[Phil Ambrose]

Ref ducklings down drains, the houses that border the Maud Foster drain in Boston all put ply covers over drains to stop this from happening as they have a large duck population.

I in my time have rescued 3 squabs', an owl, a collared dove plus reared a duckling that we found in our well deck, it grew to an adult mallard who would sit with us and our dogs while we all enjoyed the sunshine on our mooring. The duck continues to return, demanding to be fed and always brings her ducklings to show them were the food is.

Phil

Edited April 19, 2016 by Phil Ambrose

[patty-ann]

I love wildlife rescue stories...fluffy bunny moments...we are all a bunch of softies...my brother once went in the river to rescue a nest of chicks..he tied them in a cloth on his handle bars to cycle home..sadly 2 broke their necks but one survived and mum took on carer role feeding it boiled eggs mashed up. All went well until she decided it needed a bath and post wash it sadly died...still i suppose she had a go.

My youngest sons partner works in a wildlife rescue centre and brings her work home with her..she's released birds she's managed to save and rear and brought baby squirrel for a trip on the boat..that one didn't make it.

[Dave_P]

Yep, they do have a lot to say sometimes and are full of bluster but, when it comes down to it, they know that breaking human limbs with their wings is just an old wives tale. It's clever of them to keep us believing it, but they value their power of flight too much to put it at risk just to be awkward.

I heard that a swan can kill a man with the power of its mind.

[Sea Dog]

I heard that a swan can kill a man with the power of its mind.

That's probably true. If a squirrel can move a shipping container (an empty one, obviously) just by staring at it, we can only guess at the telekinetic powers of canalside wildlife.

[pomkitanner]

My duck tale is not one of rescue i'm afraid but one of murder ! Driving a tour bus on a return trip from Kathmandu I was negotiating a very rural village in eastern Turkey that was little more than a farmyard. A flock of ducks was "waddling" along the unmade, rather muddy backwater as I slowed to perhaps 20k/ hour. Assuming ducks would flutter away much as a group of chickens might, I continued driving and was mortified to hear a " Thump Thump Thump , under the bus ! OMG ! In my rear view mirror I saw the image of an irate farmer shaking a very irate Fist ! There was no doubt I was the perpetrator of genocide , but we continued on our way In the certain knowledge that duck casserole was likely on the menu that evening . However I got my comeuppance some 30 Km down the road when I heard the unmistakeable Whip, whip, whip of the police siren . The farmer had called in the boys in blue and chased me down . The penalty ? about 50p for each of the deceased, and a forceful wagging of the finger ! ! Never did like duck !

[Grassman]

We came across a deer who'd fallen into the Witham navigation between Torksey and Lincoln. It was frantically trying to climb out of the steep sides. It's obviously a re-occurring problem because there are some 'deer ramps' (piles of stones) periodically along the way, but unfortunately most have sunk below the surface and the deer obviously can't read the notices so are unable to find them.

 

After a few attempts we abandoned trying to rescue it because it was merely stressing it and exhausting it more. Hoping that it would mange to get out we continued our journey to Lincoln. On our return 2 days later we were praying we wouldn't find it but unfortunately we came across the poor thing floating in the water. Very sad.

[cuthound]

We came across a deer who'd fallen into the Witham navigation between Torksey and Lincoln. It was frantically trying to climb out of the steep sides. It's obviously a re-occurring problem because there are some 'deer ramps' (piles of stones) periodically along the way, but unfortunately most have sunk below the surface and the deer obviously can't read the notices so are unable to find them.

 

After a few attempts we abandoned trying to rescue it because it was merely stressing it and exhausting it more. Hoping that it would mange to get out we continued our journey to Lincoln. On our return 2 days later we were praying we wouldn't find it but unfortunately we came across the poor thing floating in the water. Very sad.

Well I found a young deer in one of the pounds between the locks at Calcutt, many years ago. It was floundering in deep mud at the edge of the pound. Tried unsuccessfully to get hold of it, and was just about to call the RSPCA, when another boat came up with an action man hero on board. He made a lasso and threw it and caught the deer around the neck. Then together we pulled it out and lifted onto the bank. It ran off to live another day.

 

Also rescued a sheep on the Shroppie (took three of us to lift out the waterlogged sheep) and a cat from Cropredy lock.

[Klanky]

My wife had to rescue me out of the Tunnel End Inn at Marsden quite a few times.

[tagulablue]

Well I found a young deer in one of the pounds between the locks at Calcutt, many years ago. It was floundering in deep mud at the edge of the pound. Tried unsuccessfully to get hold of it, and was just about to call the RSPCA, when another boat came up with an action man hero on board. He made a lasso and threw it and caught the deer around the neck. Then together we pulled it out and lifted onto the bank. It ran off to live another day.

 

Also rescued a sheep on the Shroppie (took three of us to lift out the waterlogged sheep) and a cat from Cropredy lock.

our sheep rescue ended up involving the local police, a man on a bike with a knee replacement, 2 young boys on bikes, 2 rspca men and finally the fire brigade .... once rescued the sheep didn't even stop to say thank you...