Short Good Friday

More stray mallard ducklings have been spotted on the bridge reaches of the River Bure between Hoveton and Wroxham. On a jet black night, a lonely duckling was calling out in shrill tones while manically paddling around the dyke at Granary Staithe. She was ignored by the parents who milled about for quite a while. The duckling was salvaged from the darkened waters and placed in a box with straw. Local duck breeder and rescuer Leanne drove over to take custody of the small furry duck ~ naming her Rox of Wroxham. "Sadly the duckling passed overnight. She had heat, food water and vitamins. We think she may have had phenumonia. There were a few little signs ~ her feet wouldn't warm up. She was under a heat lamp and I gave her vitamins but she just didn't seem to warm properly. I held her inside my jumper most of the night (they like heartbeats) but she just couldn't get warm enough. Ducklings are so hard, as you have no idea what they have been through and the adrenaline thats runs inside. Unfortunately, this could be the reason mum left them in the first place. They do that. Tend to leave weaker ones behind. Sadly ducklings are so fragile. It's awful. I adore what I do, but it's heartbreaking." In addition to this orphan, the previous duckling expired too. Timothy, Chris