By Mathew Carr
Jan. 17-18, 2024 — A family of duck chicks in London’s Mile End Park dramatically shrunk in size after a late start to winter.
I can’t be sure what happened, but the family’s chicks went from eight to four.
Here they were swimming with a swan on Jan. 10, the day temperatures dropped to below freezing (you can’t see all eight in this shot, but that’s what I counted on the day).
January 10
Mallard duck eggs (I think that’s the right breed) usually are laid March to July, so these chicks hatched very early, possibly because December was unusually mild in London (thanks Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust for the link and information. Photos, videos by CarrZee.)
Having been born too early, these babies are now enduring terrible freezing conditions in a prolonged cold snap in London.
I’m helping feed them.
Jan. 16 – only four chicks
It’s true some of the chicks might have been hiding, might have been taken by cats, dogs, people — nothing to do with climate change.
Jan. 17
Jan. 18
The ducklings survived -4c temperatures earlier Thursday morning
Jan. 19
Jan. 20
(more to come)