Mindy Hammond

Every week in S Magazine While ducks are having a field day at Hammond Towers, corvids are being left out in the cold

This summer was tough on our feathered population. Pet ducks and chickens experienced their own lockdown as we feared wild birds would infect them with avian flu, which is leading to widespread disaster.

It may not always make the headlines, but bird flu is still with us, and a new strain has had a catastrophic effect on many species. With populations already at risk from over-exploitation, habitat loss or climate change, a deadly virus spread by migrating birds seems the bitterest pill of all.

Captive birds are vaccinated in Southeast Asia, and other countries are starting to consider introducing this as a way forward. However, there is some concern that a vaccine might encourage the virus to mutate.

Here at home, we have noticed a severe decline in the number of mallard ducklings this year which,while slightly worrying, may simply be a coincidence. But recently a very odd flock of ducks has arrived on the big pond at Hammond Towers. During our morning dog walks, we’ve seen about 20 ducks on the water, but by late afternoon their numbers have often risen to 50 or more. They are all mallards – and every one of them is female.

We’ve started referring to them as “the hen party”. Despite the difference in species, it seemed an appropriate sort of name.

They all live harmoniously and welcome any new arrivals, clearing a space on the water when they spot a group circling above, then swimming to the bank to make way for the incomers to drop their webbed landing gear and glide to a watery halt.

After months of harassment from rakish drakes, the ladies have found their sanctuary and enjoy hours of chatty quacking as they drift on the water in little groups. I’ve named a few of them. The bigger, very chatty, groups, are “the WI” and “Mothers’ Union”, “the suffragettes” march about in the shallows with their beaks in the air, hatching secret plots, “the coven” is an aggressive group that chases off the moorhens, “the land girls” sit in a huddle on the grass preening themselves and, finally, we have “the wardens”, whose raison d’être is to sound the alert from their hiding place deep in the reeds whenever a threat is near.

We know some mallards migrate, but others stay in the UK, and I’m wondering which of our flock plan to set up home with us. I doubt the pond could sustain all of them, particularly once the Canada geese arrive, which is sure to cause ripples.

But as the duck numbers increase, so the crow, raven, and jackdaw numbers have declined. Even though they can be a pest, their disappearance has been a surprise. We haven’t found any sick or injured birds – they just seem to have gone. They’re known for their intelligence, so perhaps they are aware of something we aren’t. Maybe they sense a shortage in food supplies after our long dry summer and have headed to a more plentiful area, or are protecting themselves from a pending change in the weather.

Possibly, with the increasing use of solar panels and loft insulation, they’re finding their cosy rooftop roosts aren’t as readily available as they once were. Slippery solar panels don’t make for a good landing spot – although they might make fun bird slides – and an insulated roof no longer acts as a foot warmer. I imagine, too, that anyone who has had solar panels installed has asked the fitter to bird-proof chimneys and block any roof access holes while he’s up there.

Still, crows will always find comfort. As our house is extremely old, listed, tricky to insulate, and not a candidate

for solar panels, I suspect word will spread about the ready heat to be had at the Hammonds’ and those big black birdies will soon be flooding back. I just hope they don’t return with coughs or sneezes…