CONFUSED ducklings have turned up at Slimbridge Wetlands Centre.
Visitors and staff would normally expect to see the youngsters in the spring and summer, so they were faced with the unusual sight of a wild female mallard and her brood waddling across the icy plains of the Slimbridge centre.
The ducklings are thought to be just a few-days-old. Over the next couple of weeks they will grow quickly and develop much needed feathers to help keep the freezing temperatures at bay.
Warden James Lees, who took the photos, said the new arrivals were not as unusual a sight as some may think.
"Occasionally ducklings do hatch quite far out of season at Slimbridge," he said. "But it is certainly a surprising sight to see the young family, especially during such cold weather.
"Many visitors are doing double-takes when they walk past her.
"It will be pretty challenging for her to bring up her young in these cold conditions but she is doing well so far and is being given extra grain by staff and visitors.
"We hope a few of her young will survive through to the New Year when they should be hardy enough to survive on their own."
Wildlife experts at the centre have been monitoring wildlife in the UK for more than 60 years, observing changes to their habitats and helping find solutions.
Visitors and staff would normally expect to see the youngsters in the spring and summer, so they were faced with the unusual sight of a wild female mallard and her brood waddling across the icy plains of the Slimbridge centre.
The ducklings are thought to be just a few-days-old. Over the next couple of weeks they will grow quickly and develop much needed feathers to help keep the freezing temperatures at bay.
Warden James Lees, who took the photos, said the new arrivals were not as unusual a sight as some may think.
"Occasionally ducklings do hatch quite far out of season at Slimbridge," he said. "But it is certainly a surprising sight to see the young family, especially during such cold weather.
"Many visitors are doing double-takes when they walk past her.
"It will be pretty challenging for her to bring up her young in these cold conditions but she is doing well so far and is being given extra grain by staff and visitors.
"We hope a few of her young will survive through to the New Year when they should be hardy enough to survive on their own."
Wildlife experts at the centre have been monitoring wildlife in the UK for more than 60 years, observing changes to their habitats and helping find solutions.
