Some time ago our friends in Bedford offered to use their new incubator to hatch some Call Duck eggs for us. We sent away for a batch of fertile eggs but only one hatched, Lola. They also put a goose egg under one of their broody hens. As the gosling began to hatch their hen took fright and pecked at the beak of the emerging bird. The result was a deformed bird who was, none the less able to feed and grow. The family named her Lucy. The gosling and the duckling grew up together and became inseparable and very tame.

Yesterday our friends brought Lola to The Gables. Call Ducks (as their name implies) are very noisy little ducks and as the family live in town they didn’t want to annoy their neighbours. I had offered to take Lucy too but the family thought she might manage without the duck. She did for about three hours! Then they brought her over late yesterday afternoon and the pair were reunited

Our four existing Call ducks are not quite sure what to make of this strange pair. Luckily there are two houses in the duck run. One for the existing flock and one for Lucy and Lola.