He didn't just do it once, he chased them up the stream pouncing on them again and again. If they managed to take flight he flew after them and a couple of times Daisy joined the chase.
I felt sorry for the poor picked on ducks. That's nature though — the ducklings were safe and growing by the day.
One week day when I happened to be home and there were a couple of tradies onsite the ducklings were having a grand time in the stream. It was a gorgeous day and they were swimming and foraging on the bank while mum and dad watched over them.
I think the tradies thought I was a bit nutty as I proudly pointed the ducklings out to them. I did, however, notice that they looked their way quite often. How could they not - they were so cute.
Anyway, I was outside when I heard this noise coming from upstream. I looked over the fence and coming our way in the stream was a weedeater.
It looked like a bit like a small tractor but it had these huge wheels in the front ploughing though the water breaking up weeds,
Honestly, I almost jumped the fence and went running down there with my arms waving in the air crying "stop, stop you going to kill the ducklings".
But I knew by the time I got over there it would be too late. So instead I started yelling over the fence "Get your babies out of the water."
Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.
By now both Donald and Daisy were making a hell of a racket but I couldn't see the ducklings anywhere.
One of the tradies said to me as Donald sat on top of a post honking and flapping his wings, "is that the male," Yes, I replied. "Typical," he said.
"Sitting around making a lot of noise but not doing anything".
The weedeater carried on past the house while the ducks went crazy. Still no sign of the ducklings.
Donald did a huge sweep over the area once the machine had gone and then they were both stalking up and down the stream looking for their babies.
They called and strutted for about 10 minutes and I thought that's it. They are dead ducklings.
I honestly felt awful.
I was meeting friends for lunch and told them I was distraught. One of them said "little ducklings are smart, they could have dived under the water or hidden somewhere".
I wasn't convinced.
A couple of hours later I arrived home and the tradies had big smiles on their faces.
My eyes went straight to the stream and there they were. All five of them. How they escaped that machine I'll never know.
They stayed around until about two weeks ago and then just like that the entire family disappeared.
The duckling would have been at least 8 weeks old by then and I had seen them testing their wings.
Hopefully Donald and Daisy will be back next year to produce another little family.
I promise not to write about it.
Oh did I tell you about the black shag that came calling — I'll save that for another day — just joking.
• Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today
