An area wildlife photographer from East Calder reunited 9 ducklings with their mom after they narrowly prevented a quack-tastrophe making an attempt to cross the Principal Avenue.
Mark Begg saved the Mallard ducklings after being alerted to their precarious makes an attempt at crossing the Principal Avenue in East Calder; they had been in peril of being flattened into duck pancakes within the Sunday site visitors.
Native ladies first noticed the household of geese making an attempt to cross the highway - chasing them away from the busy foremost road and into a close-by backyard earlier than calling Mark Begg to come back to the rescue.
Mark is well-known in the local people of Mid and East Calder - operating his personal aviary for injured birds that the local people put £750 in the direction of to assist arrange - in 2021 alone Mark took care of 69 birds.
The native birdkeeper and wildlife photographer had simply returned residence from a Wooden Pigeon rescue when he obtained the decision from a stranger who knew he was the person to go to for hen rescuing.
When Mark arrived he discovered the feminine Mallard together with her 9 ducklings - his plan was to seize the mom duck earlier than rounding up the ducklings and taking them to the Almondell to launch.
Mark Begg stated: “I’ve rescued geese a great deal of occasions, however this was the primary household of geese I saved this 12 months.
“Sadly mallard geese may be fairly silly, they nest in industrial estates ages away from the water - which is usually a drawback when ducklings arrive as they must navigate round seagulls, vehicles, foxes, and nearly all the things to get to the water.
Nonetheless the mom duck proved too fast and Mark’s internet too small - flying off and out of sight.
Mark, with the assistance of the native ladies, rounded up the 9 little ducklings right into a cat provider - they wouldn’t cease quacking, calling out for his or her mum.
Ten minutes later, the mom duck returned and started circling Mark and the ducklings.
Mark defined: “We couldn’t get them again collectively close to the principle road, Mallard’s aren’t excellent at touchdown on arduous surfaces and the mom ended up crash touchdown on the highway.
“So the one approach to get them again collectively was to take the ducklings down the embankment to the river, via the jaggies and brambles and over a fence - I’m positive it was hysterical to look at.”
The hen keeper carried the ducklings within the cat provider from the Principal Avenue to Almondell - strolling throughout a discipline and over a fence to get there - carefully adopted by the mom duck.
By the point Mark obtained nearer to the Almondell, the duck was a lot nearer to her kids - so he launched the ducklings who headed in the direction of their moms name.
In only a few minutes they regrouped and the mom led her infants down the mild slope and into the River Almond as one massive household unit once more.
Do not miss the newest information from the West Lothian Courier. Signal as much as our free e-newsletter right here