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Duckilings how many survive coz ?


JV44

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Righto then we chugged down the Kennet on to the Thames and moored at a favorite spot Goring and whilst sat on the back of the boat devouring a Indian to die for and a nice Glass of Merlot i started watching a family of Ducklings chasing flys/midges across the surface to eat them doing that move there legs mega quick run across the surface thing when splash there were 10 and now only 9 as Mr Essox had a snack.....oh well that's nature an all thought i when literally 5 mins later at the same spot another explosion of water and there are then only 8 blimey the Pike are doing ok today thought i and had another slurp of wine .

mother duck then starts having an epileptic splashing attack throwing herself towards the bank and the flying back into the river ...Strange thought i just as i noticed a thin dark shape running along the waters edge duckling in mouth ,Now she wasn't about to give up on her duckling but after much posturing and splashing around she calmed down again and the mink slunk off to have his snack .....bloody hell 15 mins and she has lost 30% of her brood from when i first saw her!!!!

Anyone have any idea what there survival rates are??

Those top water lures with little wheels paddles must be deadly when ducklings are around i reckon .

The Thames is in that horrible orange/brown Algae bloom colour at the mo hope it goes before season starts as it lasted a few weeks last year Steve.

We are not putting it back it is a lump now put that curry down and go and get the scales

have I told you abouit the cruise control on my Volvo ,,,,,,,bla bla bla Barder rod has it come yet?? and don`t even start me on Chris Lythe :bleh::icecream:

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up here on the union canal the rate is about 3 out of a hatch of 12

this includes shooting fatalities season starts September so by November you have 3 left of the original 12

cpranim.gif

15/06/12 PB Perch 3 lb 10 oz 03/03/11 Common Carp 23lb 6 oz 05/06/12 Sturgeon 7 lb 13 oz 06/06/12 Mirror Carp 21 lb 2 oz

09/03/13 PB PIKE 27 lb 9 ozARNO3010CustomImage1086535.gif

 

 

 

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Dunno about overall, but fatalities within a single brood, or several adjacent ones, can easily run to 100% if there are swans about.

For the rest of the year, as far as the local twitchers are concerned, swans can do no wrong ... but when ducklings appear they seem to go psychotic (swans AND twitchers! :D ) ... the big male swans can (and do) hound the poor little buggers all over the local lake ... another quick whack with the beak, and another dead duckling, and it just goes on until only the (very distressed) mum remains.

I KNOW it's only nature being nature, but give any of the twitchers present ANY sort of weapon while this is going on, and dead swans WOULD be the outcome ... untill that happens they dance about on the banl like poisened dwarves, lauching anything available at the swans, usually accompanied with language that would make a prop-forward blush!

 

A bit off-topic, I know, but it's a shame they can'y see cormorants etc in the same light B)

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Isn't there a question of maths here? Assuming the duck population is roughly static, over their lifetime a pair of ducks must produce about 2 ducks which reach adulthood and breed. Given that they probably breed quite a few times, on average there must be less than one duckling from each brood which survives. Really sad!

 

I don't know if I am right in assuming that a breeding pair sticks together for life, but even if not I don't think the conclusion would be any different.

john clarke

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Nope. You are about right there John. 'Tis why surface lures can be so good in the spring........

Edited by Ken L

Species caught in 2020: Barbel. European Eel. Bleak. Perch. Pike.

Species caught in 2019: Pike. Bream. Tench. Chub. Common Carp. European Eel. Barbel. Bleak. Dace.

Species caught in 2018: Perch. Bream. Rainbow Trout. Brown Trout. Chub. Roach. Carp. European Eel.

Species caught in 2017: Siamese carp. Striped catfish. Rohu. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Black Minnow Shark. Perch. Chub. Brown Trout. Pike. Bream. Roach. Rudd. Bleak. Common Carp.

Species caught in 2016: Siamese carp. Jullien's golden carp. Striped catfish. Mekong catfish. Amazon red tail catfish. Arapaima. Alligator gar. Rohu. Black Minnow Shark. Roach, Bream, Perch, Ballan Wrasse. Rudd. Common Carp. Pike. Zander. Chub. Bleak.

Species caught in 2015: Brown Trout. Roach. Bream. Terrapin. Eel. Barbel. Pike. Chub.

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Went to Rib Valley Fishery Hertfordshire which was absolutely full of ducklings of all sorts of sizes and it was very noticeable how the broods declined relative to their sizes with the ones that were just virtually out of the eggs consisting of 9-12 ducklings right through to the larger ones that were down to one or two left and that is in the lake there that is virtually pikeless. Did not catch mutch apart from roach and rudd up to about 8oz but absolute joy to be there early yesterday morning all sorts of birds to be seen.

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For the rest of the year, as far as the local twitchers are concerned, swans can do no wrong ... but when ducklings appear they seem to go psychotic (swans AND twitchers! :D ) ...

 

I KNOW it's only nature being nature, but give any of the twitchers present ANY sort of weapon while this is going on, and dead swans WOULD be the outcome

 

You obviously have no idea what constitutes a "Twitcher", but they certainly won't be twitchers if they're displaying interest in your Mutes and Mallards.

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You obviously have no idea what constitutes a "Twitcher", but they certainly won't be twitchers if they're displaying interest in your Mutes and Mallards.

 

at the start of a day session proud mum duck had 10 ducklings, by lunch two had gone. when i packed up there were only five left. there are a lot of 7LB pike in the water.

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Isn't there a question of maths here? Assuming the duck population is roughly static, over their lifetime a pair of ducks must produce about 2 ducks which reach adulthood and breed. Given that they probably breed quite a few times, on average there must be less than one duckling from each brood which survives. Really sad!

 

I don't know if I am right in assuming that a breeding pair sticks together for life, but even if not I don't think the conclusion would be any different.

 

To keep the mallard population stable (or come to that any animal) they need to produce two offspring that reach breeding age during their lifetime.....to replace them if you like. Hence the high number of ducklings. In a high predator environment more young will be lost. It's why frogs and toads lay so much spawn...two tadpoles reaching maturity out of approximately 6,000 eggs laid over an average lifespan is all that is required!

 

It might seem harsh but the 'extraneous' young are there to feed the predators and keep the circle going!

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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