October 14th – Hadn’t seen these guys for a bit, but when I passed the overflow at Clayhanger Bridge, the three crossbreed mallards were having a conflab in the shallows. It was a bit like how I imagine a Roman bath-house to be, but with ducks.

What I particularly like about these chaps is that they’re always together, and that they always seem to be smiling.

July 15th – Ducks are not fussy. Mallards will mate with anything that cooperates, and quite a lot of things that don’t. Unusual union has clearly resulted in this peculiar fellow, who seems to be, for the most part, mallard, but there seems to be runner duck and tufted in there somewhere. He lives on the boating lake at Chasewater, and I caught him on an evening ride out to Yoxall and Barton. Have to say, the levels are raising impressively now.

Nice barnet…