Dotty adventurous

We drove home from Luncheon Club duty yesterday during a big shower of rain mixed with hail and snow, thankfully it had almost stopped when we arrived home.  After a quick coffee break I decided it was time to clean out all three duck huts, and the moment I started the heavens opened with the fiercest hail shower, the little ice crystals were covering the ground for a while - I was glad I'd started with the duck shed and could keep dry inside, and thankfully it stopped by the time I started Dotty's hut.

I was keeping an eye on Dotty while busy at her hut, I'd already seen GertieII and Billie-Jean slip in and out of the hole I'd cut in the fence, and all of a sudden Dotty also went through and spent some time "digging" in the grass around the greenhouses.  John had seen Dotty in that area before, but for me it was the first time I'd seen her use the opening, very exciting.

On my way to the third hut by the big pond I could see that Dotty was alongside the vegetable beds on her way to the field where her group were.  So I made a quick dash for the camera and took a few shots - some of them are a bit blurry, sorry, I was carrying cleaning equipment at the same time!

 

Just then I could see that Honey had been hiding under this bush, she came out, and the two 'handicapped' ducks made their way back towards the little pond.

This is Tuts in hot pursuit of Daisy - he stopped when he saw me, and in the last fuzzy picture from yesterday you can just make out Dotty slipping through the hole in the fence:

 

PS: on Thursday evening

We had some stonking hail showers this afternoon, the ducks only sought shelter under some bushes when they got extra heavy.  But as soon as it eased off a little they were back to a particular spot of attraction near the conservatory .... heavy mud?

PPS: These are the muddy patches the little tyros were 'working' on last night: