Choosing her Partner

Choosing her Partner

June 1996

Obviously, now she had laid eggs we knew she was sexual mature, but we didn't think on how this would influence her behavior towards us, and especially towards me.

We thought: she would just go on laying eggs, and that's it! 

But – already a few times before, I had experienced Pipke bit me, at least – that was what I thought it was.

It happened the first time in the period she had made her first nest in the woodland, and now – a half year later - she started to do it again, but with a lot more force than before. 
Sometimes she bit me so violent, that I had bruises on my skin. It happened every morning at the moment we cuddled in the laundry room.

I then noticed – when I stroke her on her back she calmed down a little – but from the moment I came in the environment of her bum she began to squeak very heavily and she then bit me with even much more force.

When I fondled her at that place she became very exited and she then raised her backside.

So - I discovered what this meant: she had chosen me as her partner.

This was her way to show me, that I was her mate. She wanted me to mate with her.

For granted: I couldn't mate with her – I am not a drake – but I had to do “something” to calm her down and it seemed cuddling her this way was the only way to do it.

After a while, I found out, she was already satisfied that I fondled her and gave her soft pats on her backside – or I squeezed in her tail. She enjoyed it – she seemed to see “this” as mating.

From then on we cuddled – (this way) – every morning during the mating season and after the “deed” - if she hadn't made a nest already - then I had to go with her outside. 
She quacked and waited for me until I came outside to look for a good nesting place. 
We then looked very diligent together for the right spot while she chatted the whole time. She then really could be a chatterbox, actually - we both talked nineteen to the dozen.

The reed was one of her favorite spots. We then stood there together, while she inspected the place.

If she had made her choice she started to squeak very heavily. 
(This way of squeaking was then totally different, it was actually repeatedly very short quacking.) 

Working together on her nest and chattering without ceasing.

This was her way to say: “This location will do!” We then both took some twigs and dry grass and so we started to build the basis of a new nest. The further completion of the nest she did herself.

If she had already built a nest, she went on her own to it. She then ran very fast towards it and sat on it until she had laid an egg.

After she'd done that, she came to call me. 

I had to come outside to look at it. Then we went together to her nest and very proud she showed me her newest asset. While I stood there to inspect her eggs she was so exited, and again - it was chattering without ceasing.

Consequently the nest grew to a total of at least ten eggs. 

A nest at an other place.

But of course - these eggs were not fertilized and she realized it because she could perceive no life in it.

Therefore she then made a new nest at an other place, but obvious - and unfortunately for her - without the result that she wanted to achieve.
Unfortunately for her, I could never give her what she would have wanted.

I never could have thought that a duck would choose me as her partner.

I could never have imagined that our bond would grow so close and I could love a little critter so much.

In fact, at that time I didn't know it yet: but - the time “together with her” would become 

“the happiest time of my life”.

About this happy time I will tell you in the next chapter entitled: 

Living in the Woodland July-August 1996.

Hope to see you again.

Bye bey!

Thanks for your visit. 

Her First Nest

Her First Nest

Begin April 1996 

                             

Spring was in the air. 

Now we had thought Pipke would be more at ease, now that Chicky was no longer there but: that wasn't at all the case.

Very impatient she ran up and down along the back side of the fence.

We saw she wanted to be outside the fence, in the meadow there behind. 

Therefore, we opened the little gate in the fence towards the meadow so that she could go out if she wanted.

For the first time in our life we saw her running all alone through the meadow towards the woodland.

Now we were really very worried.

She was now totally on her own. 

There was no one to protect her now. We really were afraid for her safety! Would she be safe out there?

The woods had no secure fence, everyone had access to the place. There could be stray dogs and even hunters, in fact: it wasn't safe.

We didn't know what she was doing there, but - because she returned home in the evening by herself to sleep in her pen we were less worried.

The next day one of our neighbors told us that he had seen her there - just outside the woodland "on a nest"!

That was a big surprise for us! 

We didn't know that Pipke was a female!

Until that very moment it had always been a question ? mark for us. 

Only now we realized that the few light green eggs we once found in her pen, must have been “hers” and not Chicky's.

Without us knowing - Pipke had grown into a fine lady.

Of course, we were very curious to see where she was.

So we went to the place our neighbor had described to search her. 

We found her there, just outside the woodland, on her first nest.

This would become the most beautiful and highest nest she'd ever built.

Taking care for her eggs

You had to see and hear, how elated she was to see us there.

Very diligent she covered her eggs with tiny twigs and dry grasses and then she came back home with us.

The next days she went back to this nest. Thereafter she also made a nest at another spot, but then suddenly - a few days later she didn't go to her nest anymore.

In fact: we were very relieved, now we didn't have to worry for her safety any longer.

From now on she assisted us with everything we did in the garden: pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedge, we were never alone. Insects or bugs - they got no opportunity to expand excessive: she kept that in balance.

Working in the garden became now “entertainment” instead of a chore for us.

However, we had to take care where we stepped. Sometimes it was even dangerous for her. 

We had to keep an eye on her with everything we and she did. 

Sometimes she stood right behind our feet (to catch bugs that jumped up while we were working) without we knew it and: a few times it happened that we stepped by accident on her tiny paws.

It was heartbreaking to hear then how she squealed very loud from pain.

Then tears came to my eyes and I could really be mad at myself.

I tried to comfort her then. I then took her up, massaged her bruised paw and cuddled her over again and again. It even happened that she was limping afterward and then we were very worried, but eventually - to our great relief - it healed well.

Although she was cautious for the lawn mower – she knew the danger very well - “the spade” was something else. She associated it always with worms, her special treat.

                     

See our insects controller/assistant gardener in full action!

So we had to be very careful if we'd the spade in our hands and she was in our proximity.

That Spring our garden got an extra portion of natural fertilizer.

Pipke was the one who took care for that also, and our young plants: they grew very abundantly!

After Spring comes Summer!

About that Summer 1996, I will tell you later.

Then I will go further with: Choosing Her Partner. 

Hope to see you then!

Bye, bye!

PS: sorry for the poor quality of the footage, but at that time we used an outdated video camera that gave not such good results.

A Companion for Pipke.

A Companion for Pipke.

It was now November 1995. She was now exactly six months old. 
The first signs of Winter were already there. Now we became a little anxious about Pipke's well-being. We were afraid she would become lonely now that we were less outside than in Summer.

Friends of us advised us to take a companion for her.

First we considered to take another duck, but they told us that it was also possible to keep a chicken as a companion for her, sometimes they can become good friends. It would also be much easier for us to keep the little pond clean, because - actually the pond was too small for two ducks.

In fact, in her case it didn't matter which animal we chose because: Pipke had imprinted us as her kind.

Thus, we went to a farm and there we chose a beautiful friend for her: a little hen, a special little species. In Belgium we call it: Antwerpse Baardkriel. In English it's called "Belgian Bearded d'Anvers".

It was a lovely little critter. It had really wonderful autumn colors. It had a beautiful beard which consists of whiskers, starting on the cheeks and extend below the ears to the back of the head. It also had feathers on its little paws. The breed is noteworthy because of their smallness.

It's one of the oldest and smallest original breed we know here in Belgium.

After we came home, we installed the little hen in another ward in Pipke's pen so they could get used to each other, without direct contact (we'd divided the pen in two pieces with a fence).

We could see immediately that Pipke didn't appreciate this. She became very restless and that first evening - for the first time in her life we had a problem to close her pen because she wanted to come back with us, so - we had to reassure her that she was OK.

After a few days of separation, we let them meet without the fence. That went reasonably well, although at first Pipke avoided contact with the hen, but after a while she accepted her (in fact: she rather tolerated her presence). Thereafter the hen began to follow her everywhere!

Fourteen days later, Pipke had already adapted herself to her companion, but then suddenly the hen got sick. She lost much of her feathers, so we had to consult a vet. His conclusion was that she had lost her feathers because she was stressed by the move to another home. Therefore he gave her a vitamins injection and he advised us, to keep her inside because it was too cold for her outside (it was already freezing).

Almost fourteen days we kept her inside our garden house. She was doing better every day, and from the moment she'd recovered, we placed her with Pipke in the pen again.

During the day we let them both explore the garden. 

It was so beautiful to see them both strolling through the garden - picking up bugs and nibbling the grasses.

Now - my hubby had to look for worms for both of them, and sometimes it became a little struggle between them to pick up the worm “first”. Sometimes Pipke became angry because the hen had picked a worm right in front of her beak/nose:), and then she chased the hen away.

Although it never became a close friendship, now they both slept during the day near the backdoor: Pipke in her dogs-nest, and the hen beside the nest, it was such a charming sight. 

Now you can imagine: we had to clean a lot! Now we had “two” little ones that pooed all around the place.

Our days were filled with taking care of them.

When the sun went down the hen went to the pen by herself, but Pipke waited for us to go with her. She quacked loudly when she found it was time to go to sleep.

We went through Winter without any problems. It had been cold – but our little critters were young and they could manage the cold very well.

The hen had always laid little brown eggs, but now – we'd also found a few times a light greenish egg.

(At that moment we didn't realize that these weren't only the hen's eggs.)

With the first signs of Spring we'd noticed Pipke became very restless and also that the hen had become very bossy now. She picked at Pipke, and that was something we wouldn't accept. Therefore, we looked for a new home for the little boss.

The same week, the hen went to a new home at friends of us. There was only one condition: we demanded that they would never kill her.

In fact, it's odd!

Although we loved that little critter very much, we never took a picture of her and now we still regret this. We didn't even give her a name, we only called her: *Chicky - if that's a *name:).

(Therefore - to show you how she almost looked like I will show you a picture of the breed that I found on Google.)

However … after staying there for 6 months at our friends' place “Chicky” became very bossy there too. She chased all the other chickens away, although she was the smallest one of them all.

Therefore, our friends found her another place to stay, and there she was no longer the boss.

She stayed there, and she had a beautiful life.

She died of old age, she became 11 years old.

Now it still gives me a good feeling when I think back of her: “our little bossy thing has had a good life!”

That was what I had wished. My wish was full filled!

In the mean time we discovered that Pipke started to behave totally different.

In fact, we had already discovered earlier that she wasn't at ease when we had visitors who were strangers to her. When she was only four weeks old we had visitors for the first time since she was born. From the moment she heard them she started to quack very loud and as long as she could hear their voices we couldn't keep her quiet. Therefore we had to put her in our garage in her container and there she was at ease.

Although she knew my granddaughter and my son from the day she was born she didn't want them to come close to her anymore.

Here's a picture of her together with my granddaughter. 

She's here not yet 24 hours old.

Before, my granddaughter could play with her, pick her up and cuddle her. Now ( begin 1996) – she picked at my granddaughter when she tried to cuddle her and she even chased her off. This was also the case with my son. 

 These two pictures were taken on the first of January 1996.

Seemingly – Pipke had chosen her “flock”. 

Except for me and my husband, she saw everyone else as her enemy combatant.

How things evolved I will tell you later. 

Then I will go further with: Her First Nest (April 1996).

Thanks for your visit!

Hope to see you again.

My Soft Spot for Animals

My Soft Spot for Animals

   In the interest of an animal I've committed a murder!

I've had it from an early age already: I couldn't see an animal suffer.

I even committed a “murder” to stop this.

I must have been only ten years old. I was home alone and was sitting in the garden when I suddenly saw that our cat had caught a little bird. It was a very young bird, it didn't even have feathers yet. I chased the cat off and she let go of it, but unfortunately it was already too late, it was injured very badly.

One of it's wing was almost bitten off and it was bleeding. I – just a very young child – knew that I couldn't save it, it was injured too badly. I held it in my hand, it was floundering, it really was suffering. I knew that I had to release it from its pain and there was only one solution for it: to kill it as soon as possible.

Therefore, I took a bucket with water and dipped the poor thing under. While I did this I also squeezed its fragile throat, so that its end would come quicker. After a minute, I thought that it would be dead, but it wasn't the case. When I inspected it after such a long time under water, it was still breathing and gasping for air! The poor thing, I cried – this was so gruesome to see, and now I had to do it over again!

In my eyes it seemed as if it took hours and now I still feel sorrow for the little one but I had to do it, but I still regret that it didn't go faster.

Thereafter I buried it in the garden. 
It took me days to get over it, and I often went to the place were I buried it and asked for forgiveness but in fact: I had committed a murder in the interest of the animal.

This happened when I was ten – but one year later I found a cat with its head almost shopped off by a *trolley car (*or tram), and of course the animal was dead. Grown-up people stood there, gaping indifferent, they did nothing.

So, out of “respect” for the dead animal, and to prevent that it would become ran over again and again by the following trolley cars, I took the dead cat by its tail and took it to my home.

I first thought that it was ours, but it wasn't. Ours was sitting in the garden. So my father has buried the dead cat in our garden.
Some time later we discovered that it was our neighbour's cat, (they looked almost the same).  But, even if they had looked differently – I would have done the same – and I felt sorry for this one. 

Throughout the years I saved many birds and also a wild kitten.

I am a runner, and when I'm in good health, I run every other day, through woodlands and fields through the countryside.

I found the kitten in a ditch with water. I took it out and laid it on a safe spot in the neighborhood in the assumption that the mother must be there somewhere. When I returned, I saw that the mother was taking care of it, she had found it. 

That really made my day.

I rescued several birds and took them to a bird rescue shelter, where they know us already.

One of my latest rescuees

The employee of the bird sanctuary here shows the wounded pigeon.

What I can't stand is: that a dead animal becomes run over by cars over and over again.

When they aren't totally crushed yet, I take them and lay them at the side of the road. (I always keep tissues in my pocket for this.)

The list of dead animals I laid beside the road is long, I will spare you from it, but it happened in separate situations that I saved birds.

I thought that the birds were dead, because I had just seen more than one car drive over them, (they weren't hit by the wheels) but when I came closer then – to pick them up – they moved a little, they were only in shock or slightly injured. While I went home with them, I kept them warm and safe between my sweater and my runners coat. Of course I couldn't run now, the birds would become scared then, so I walked.

Back home I took care of them for a while and they recovered.

Thereafter, I took them back to the area where I had found them. It was beautiful to see them fly off: I had saved another life.

That I saved Pipke, was the best thing I could ever have done. 

It changed our lives completely.

Bye, bye!

Next time I will continue the story with the titel: A Companion for Pipke!
Hope to see you again and thanks for reading.

PS: As a little extra. 

This was me with my dog Tony just after the war in Spring 1946.

A Discovery

A Discovery

We still wondered how it could be that Pipke and her dad were the only ones with a crest. While her father had rather only a small wisp, Pipke's crest was much larger. She had a beautiful full crest.

One day, one of our neighbors, who lives much further in our street, saw us working with Pipke in the front garden. It was the first time that he saw her. So, we started to chat about the disappearance of the pond and the ducks. He agreed that the place was now less attractive. We said, that we still couldn't understand that Pipke was – except from her father – the only one with a crest. “Oh”, he said, “I have a surprise for you both!”

He enlightened what had been a riddle for us for such a long time: he had had – more than ten years ago a few crested ducks on his pond. There was no fence around this pond, so the ducks were free to go where they wanted. One day – they suddenly disappeared – he never saw them again.

He assumed that they went to the woodland, there were brooks, thus: an ideal place for them.

Probably, no – even for sure, this hadn't been the case.

Pipke was the proof and also the result of it.

These crested ducks must have visited the pond on the other side of our street, they must have mated with the mallards there. We asked him: “but how can you explain that from all those ducks that have lived there during all these years before, not one had a crest”.

He couldn't give us an answer.

In fact, now one riddle was resolved, but it brought up a new one.

Therefore we started to look up some more information about Crested ducks.

At the time that Pipke was born we had no Internet, so we discovered the truth only five years later.

This is what we've found.

The crested duck is a domestic breed developed from the common mallard.

It's a medium-sized duck with a plump body, short legs, and a flat rounded bill.

The tail is short and the wings are short and pointed.

The color can vary, and some crested ducks have a large crest on top of their head.

They weigh  around 4 to 6 pounds.

The Crested Duck’s crest was probably produced by chance!

Only about half of the offspring from crested parents will also have crests.

About one fourth will be non-crested, and due to deformities of the skull, the last one fourth will “not survive” to hatching! Because of these deformations crested ducks are very vulnerable to health problems.

Can you imagine “how lucky” Pipke was!

First: she was the only one in her direct family who inherited the correct genes from her ancestors which made it possible that she could develop a full crest, and it had taken more than ten years to come at the surface. That she had this beautiful crest was thus – only pure chance!

Second: that she survived her birth, was almost a miracle, especially if you think about the circumstances it took place in.

Third: her mother deserted her nest before she was born, and all her little brothers and sisters didn't survive.

Fourth: the day of her birth, I was forced to stay home because my injured leg. It was pure chance that I stood by the window, watching at the heavy rainstorm, and that I looked down at that particular moment.

This all must have been “predestination”!

In fact, I had always been attracted to: ducks.

Already from an early age I was drawing ducks.

I also embroidered ducks on a baby sheet and pillowcase, and do you know what?

You wouldn't believe this: I embroidered two ducks with an umbrella!

Almost fifty years later – I strolled along in my garden – with my sweet duck under my own umbrella!

Now – I still find it very unfortunate that I don't have the baby sheet and pillowcase anymore. Once my mother gave it away as a present for a new born baby.

I wished that she hadn't done that, then I could proof what I'm saying here.

It sounds almost too beautiful to be true now – but this is the truth – believe me!

Later in my life, when I bought decoration pieces for my home, I had a preference for ducks: duck postures, a duck cookie box, duck almanacks, an apron with ducks, dishtowels with ducks, oh – I'll spare you the rest.

I'm now talking about things I bought long time before Pipke was born.

That we found then years later a construction ground with “ducks” as neighbors, that wasn't obvious either.

In Belgium you can't find many places like this, with a natural front garden and a pond, and certainly not in a street.

All three of us were very lucky!

Ducks – ducks – ducks: it was definitely predestination!

Next time we will continue with: My Soft Spot for Animals.

Thanks for your visit

Till next time!