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8 little ducklings

18th Nov 2005

Four-day old ducklings on a canal just five weeks before Christmas? It must be a mistake.

That’s what Tony Wright, British Waterways’ lock keeper thought when a passing boater told him they’d been seen bobbing around in one of his locks. Intrigued, Tony walked down the flight of 11 locks he cares for as part of BW’s 2,000 mile network, only to find that it was true – eight yellow ducklings swimming ferociously against the weight of water gushing from one of the locks.

Well known on the waterways network for the shelter he provides for a myriad of animals and birds, Tony‘s natural instinct was to offer a home to these out-of-season fluffy little things. Now he’s caring for them, along with his 11 manicured locks, at his lock keeper’s house at the top of the Atherstone flight on the Coventry Canal.

In a week when British Waterways (BW) released the results of a summer-long Wildlife Survey, in which a crocodile was spotted along with the more usual inhabitants of Britain’s 2,000-mile canal and river network, the discovery of eight ducklings on the canal has prompted questions as to whether the seasons are really in a mix up.

Tony says of his discovery: "It’s bizarre, it really is. I tend to the locks, I cut the grass and I watch the seasons go by as boaters, anglers, walkers and cyclists enjoy this wonderful flight of locks. And then I look at the trees and I have to remind myself it really is the middle of November. Many of the trees still have leaves, the grass is still growing, and to cap it all, eight fluffy ducklings are bobbing around in the canal."

With his mind on the cold nights and the chances of survival for the four day old ducklings being slim, Tony hasn’t hesitated in taking them under his wing. "My wife’s used to this really", he says. "When you consider the array of different animals we care for anyway, it’s just another few guests that need looking after."

Jonathan Brickland, one of BW’s ecologists, says: "We had a warm spell a little while ago, and it’s really thrown things about in the nature world. It could mean a bad year for some wildlife next year because flora and fauna will be tricked into early pollination and reproduction.

"But once this happens, and then winter sets in for good, wildlife that’s been confused by the warm October weather will be fighting for their very survival. It may well mean that when spring comes round again there will be a dearth of insects, mammals and other wildlife, affecting Nature’s true pattern of birth, growth and death according to the traditional seasons.

"Duck eggs take about 28 days to hatch," explains Jonathan, "coinciding perfectly with the unusually warm weather much of the country experienced during the second week in October". Met Office records show that on Monday 10 October Herne Bay in Kent recorded a temperature of 23.60C.

With over 1,000 wildlife conservation sites, 60 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and more than 600 miles of hedgerow, enough to reach from London to the Isle of Skye, British Waterways is responsible for caring for a huge range of different wildlife habitats across the country. And while the public corporation employs a team of expert ecologists to advise on wildlife protection and enhancement, many of its other 2,000 employees make it their job to care for the nation’s watery wildlife.

Last updated: 22/10/2008