By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
ONE mother duck has created a home away from home in Russell Street, Cranbourne.
For the second consecutive year this mother duck has set up camp to hatch her brood of ducklings in an old pencil pine tree in Val and Jim Bourke’s backyard.
Hatching 13 fluff balls in 2014, this year she left with 14 trailing behind her after one died.
A Cranbourne resident of 33 years, Mr Bourke said the new tradition is a first in the street.
“When we had the wood fire a certain amount of heat would come through the chimney and ducks would sit on the roof to keep warm, but we’ve never had them in the yard hatching before,” he said.
The brood of cuteness hatched in their nest in the tall pencil pine tree before making a crash landing on to the grass.
“We gave them water and the mother some bread – they were a fantastic sight and off they would go eating grass and following their mum around,” Mr Bourke said.
Running amuck in the Bourke’s backyard for three days, the happy family was off down the street on Saturday 26 September where they may have taken a quick dip in a neighbour’s swimming pool.
“The ducklings got out through a hole in the fence and the mother flew over.
“I suspect they will go to a nearby housing estate which has a lake,” Mr Bourke said.
The Bourke family has become quite accustomed to the new brood and this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Lorikeets nested and gave birth in the same tree for three years before the family of ducks took over.
“We expect mother duck back next year,” Mr Bourke laughed.
