Cute little moorhen!

Punting can be so romantic, idyllic and wonderful. At times the river can be a real stunning place, with the sun shining on the water and on the beautiful buildings. At this time of the year it is even more exciting and lovely because the ducks and moorhens have their ducklings.

So, we are in the boat, punting along, happy times, romantic times, lovely times.
"Look over there!".
"Aaaah, there is a moorhen mum with her little baby duckling. Sooo cute!!"

Next moment, a big SPLASH! Gone is the little black duckling. Under water. It took one second and one big splash. The next moment it seems as if the duckling had never been there. The water is calm again. We could only know something had happened by the concerned, upset sounds of the mum.

I wasn't sure. Some said the duckling was just diving and would come up soon. It never came up though...

My punting colleagues told me later that there are eels in the river that eat ducklings. I read about it and apparently BIG eels eat ducklings. Hope this is not going to happen on many of my tours. It will be an upsetting rather then relaxing tour on the river.

Romantic? Yes. But now I also know the river can be a place of life and death.