Mr and Mrs Nocurl appeared for the first time quite late in the season in 2002, but returned very early in 2003. Nocurl could be distinguished, not only because he had no curly tail feathers, but because he also had a speckly rump, rather than the black of the other drakes.  Nocurl soon demonstrated that he had an individual personality as he decided that, more than anything else, he would like to go inside our garden. Rather than fly over the fence, he walked all the way round until he found a small hole at the back. One time when Mr and Mrs Duck were in the pond he remembered this hole and went straight to it before I had time to stop him. That was the end of peace and quiet for Mr and Mrs Duck. After that, he was always trying to get into the garden. Mrs Nocurl seemed to be a bit dim. She always got left behind and couldn't work out how to rejoin him. Sadly, his love of our garden was probably the cause of his death. On Good Friday, 18th April, we were working in the garden, clearing out the pond. Maybe he wanted to get into the garden, saw us and wandered off instead, or maybe he was tempted by bird-food on the other side of the main road. In the afternoon one of our neighbours came to tell us there was a dead duck in the main road at the back of our house. By that time the body was impossible to identify except that it was a drake, but I felt sure it was Nocurl. The others didn't usually wander round to the back. During the next 24 hours all the others returned except Nocurl, and Mrs Nocurl came alone. On a happier note, Mrs Nocurl returned the next day with a new mate. We have made a new hole in the fence at the front, so that any ducks that want to get into the garden don't have to walk all the way round.
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