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16 October 2014

Hermit Life


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Blasted Crows!

Me ducks are nesting. Or trying tae...in among the still fairly bare dog roses, they gather wee bits o` twig and dried hay and weed mixed wi` the odd bit o` binder twine. Then they try tae build their nest and one o` them hunkers doon atop it, and starts laying.
A` fine and well. Then come the crows. I`m no ower fond o` crows...thieving brutes they are, opportunists wi` a canny eye for the vulnerable, and if a sitting duck doesnae count as vulnerable, I dinnae ken what is!
So I was a peedie bit riled tae watch the nearest nesting duck come off the nest tae gaun tae the drinker, and a bloody big black crow swoop in frae naewhar tae lift one o` the duck eggs up in twa claws and fly off ower the field wi` it!
Oh, I was fair riled....no sae much as the puir duck though, who ran back tae the nest mak`ing a fair racket which brought half a dozen o` the other ducks tae see what was happening.
And she settled doon again, and her cronies waddled off aboot the garden tae nudge the earth for slugs and grubs and grain. And the thieving crow cam` back again, wi` one o` his ain buddies, and hopped aboot in front o` the sitting duck, wha` once more let oot a hiss and quack and brought the other ducks back at a run, and it was fine tae see them a` head at full duck tilt straight for the crows, who, tae gie them their due, stood their ground til the last minute, then took off ower the field.
Well, since then, they are still hanging aroond waiting til the wee duck gets off for another drink or a feed, and keeping an eye on the four other duck nests aboot the garden. But the wee sitting duck has her bodyguards nearby, and they set up a racket when the crows come ower near.
There`s a Scots saying, "shoot the crow", tae mean gaun awa`. But me, I am thinking it should be taken a peedie bit more literally meself. I ken crows hae tae eat tae live as well. But when they`re eating me future ducks, then they`re on dangerous territory.
I`m no ower fussed aboot the loss o` a few duck eggs...every year we always get some twa tae three dozen ducklings, aroond half o` which mak it tae adultduckhood...the rest succumbing tae crows or blackbacks (wha` eat them doon whole!) or weather or neglective motherhood.
But it fair irks me tae see the distress o` the nesting ducks at the harrying crows.

Scarecrows, by the way, just dinnae work. I hae had one in me garden for a whiles noo, complete wi` coat and hat and ootstretched arms....the last time I looked, he had a row o` sparrows lined up all ower those arms and blackbird on his hat!
Posted on Hermit Life at 10:44

Comments

nature really is red in tooth and claw isn't it ... My Missy the muscovy duck has dug herself into a bespoke 'duck-burrow' which she has started outside one corner of my shed, which goes vertically down for around ten inches, and then presumably opens out vertically into a small area under the shed ... There she sits 23.7 hours per day, emerging for ten minutes or so at different times of the day for a quick feed of grains and as much water as she can drink ... On a good day she will have a little bath also ... She walks around making lovely little chirruping noises, which I have been told is because she will be 'speaking' to the eggs, to encourage them out ... Am looking forward to a tribe of muscovies at some point ... :-) And hoping that not too many are male, because males have to go almost immediately to avoid bloodshed with Monty, the existing drake ...

soaplady from commisseration terrace


Nothing less than blasts from the shotgun will do, Hermit., if you want to be quick and efficient. Of course, you could try the cross-bow...

mjc from NM,USA


Hermit, have you tried devising an exploding egg (either timer or remotely triggered)? Or you could have one with a miniature mp3 player, remotely controlled: let your imagination do the rest, but I suspect you could send the crow straight to the loony bin that way. If these don't work, you could ask for help from the hammer-throwers from Shapinsay (two for the price of one) - 'tis true they are more Normans or Angles than Vikings but you could overlook this defect for once.

mjc from NM,USA


Of course, a nice pilgrimage by a heathen like you might just be the right thing to do away with the crows (instruments of Herr Devil himself, I suspect). Don't worry. Pilgrimages are not as hard as they used to be. As you know, any decent pilgrim drags a big cross with him, and in the old days it was made of wood, perhaps solid heavy duty mahogany for the rich and well travelled. Since 1995 (the fashion may have begun on the Chimayo Easter pilgrimage in NM, from Santa Fe to Chimayo), pilgrims have started substituting a styrofoam cross for the wooden one. I kid you not. A good wind on the high road, the cross takes off, and the pilgrim has to scamper after it up and down arroyos. Lordy, lordy - what's this world coming to?!

mjc from NM,USA


Toying with the shotgun idea mjc..but the pilgrimage isn`t gonna happen. My ancestors were more likely to bloodeagle their enemies to any great lump o` wood, than drag it anywheres. Much more efficient, I would think...;-D

Hermit from Heathen location wi` mp3 player firmly in ears.


can you not put up four high posts and fix wire mesh over the top to stop the crows coming in?

carol from france




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