A quick update: the new brood of ducklings that invaded the pond the other day (with one being killed and one taken for rehab) has left the area: six babies and the mom have apparently walked off Botany Pond. Of course that saves them the uninterrupted harassment and pecking from Audrey’s brood that did one of them in, and saves us a lot of stress from having to see it, but of course the problem didn’t go away. That new brood still must find a new body of water, and there are none very close to here (at least a mile and a half at most). If they can’t find water, the babies will die.
This departure may just have moved the problem elsewhere, out of sight. Poor ducklings!
How much water do they need? Would kiddie pools drainage ditches serve?
Interesting behavioral glitch. Do you suppose the mother takes to the air to search for water? If she doesn’t, the chances of her running into water seem very low.
I wonder if a temporary fence could be strung across the pond? One pond becomes two.