Sadly, I think that Mr Mallard (dad) is responsible for the missing ducklings. I witnessed him swimming up suddenly out of the blue snapping with beak open wide at the remaining ducklings as they were sleeping. The ducklings immediately got in the water swimming out of harms way.
It’s not necessarily good to have a “dad”.
In this case it would have been better if ‘dad’ had left the mum so she could look after her chicks.
Oh, NO! I thought the dads were supposed to be protective of the mama and her nest…or does he stop protecting them after they’re born, because there’re too many mouths to feed?? (sigh)
Male Mallards are surplus to requirement after the chicks are born. Some of them kill the chicks so that they can mate with the female again. She won’t mate if she is looking after a brood of chicks.
That is a sad story, Cherie. It reminds me of seeing a female mallard who was shepherding her ducklings, being wooed away by a male mallard and leaving them to fend for themselves
It is the first time I have seen this it is usually seagulls that pick a few off but not as many as this Mallard did.
I hope the three ducklings stick together… for company and eventually for mutual protection.
Hopefully the last three will make it. I am glad I wasn’t around to see exactly what happened to the other little ones.