Orphan is doing well, coming when called, scarfing up food. A clever, sneaky little bugger.
(I think, from the look of the fledging feathers, that he's likely to turn out to be a male. So from now on I'll call it "he.")
Ducky brought her Horde down the slough; Orphan was already there. I was out in the yard doing some work. I'd built up a pile of debis in the middle of the lawn between slough and pond in the process.
Ducky went after Orphan with great enthusiasm, probably because the Tall Moving Source of Food was there. She chased him right out of the slough, running with her head down and neck extended, at top speed, off behind the debris pile. Meanwhile, the Horde was waddling across the grass on the opposite side of the debris pile, a platoon of advancing bellies.
Orphan shot around the debris pile, collided with the advancing Horde, which had stopped….
And turned around.
Ducky came racing round the pile, and gosh, there was the Horde, all standing there looking at her. Oh. Okay. She herded all of them, including Orphan, to the pond, and stood guard as they ate the chickenscratch I brought out.
Heh.
PS: all those duck bellies waddling two by two across the lawn have left an impression.....
