And now moorhen chicks

The first moorhen chicks for this year have been born. There are three in the brood and one was right in the centre of the moat - a bit reckless if you ask me. The other two were keeping well hidden in the reeds. Unlike ducklings who immediately start swimmming strongly and feeding, moorhen chicks seem much more helpless in their first few days and are fed by the parents.

Bunch of ducklings

I always enjoy seeing a brood of ducklings in a pile on the lawn - here's a picture from yesterday.

More ducklings

Hatched today I think. There's ten of these which added to the previous brood of twelve makes a running total of 22. The record was I think 52 in 2007 but that would take some beating. In any case twenty odd ducklings is about the most the moat can sustain at any one time. These ten are keeping close to mum whilst the original twelve are whizzing about the moat feeding.