Algernon-the-picked-upon

Once upon a time, a few months ago, a young drake arrived in the garden. His chest was quite patchy where he'd been pecked by other drakes. This is quite normal behaviour amongst the drakes in the mating season and there are always some wandering around looking bedraggled.

Charlie the Drake chased him away whenever he tried to get near to the feed I put out by the barn for the wild ducks.

As the days went by I saw Algernon getting thinner and thinner and I was worried so I started to put extra feed out for him when the others had gone about their ducky business. 

He was very brave and came quite close to me and that's when I saw the extent of his injuries; not only had he ben picked on by other ducks, it looked as if he'd been trapped as there was the remains of some wire hanging from his neck and horrible deep slashes across his head and neck. You can see a bald patch on his back too.

Poor little fellow. There is a lot of poaching going on but thankfully he escaped their snare.

Gradually the other ducks let him join in and he started to put on weight.

Then last week he appeared with a friend. This little chap has also been pecked so I think Algernon has taken him under his wing. We've christened him Pericles the Persecuted. Yes, our little visitors do have names - well most of them do, or rather the ones I recognise do!

Now they're the best of friends.

And so they lived happily ever after.