Yorkshire couple who hand-reared duckling stunned to see her return with babies of her own

Phil Garner, 67, from Allerton Bywater, took the tiny mallard under his wing after finding her abandoned on a fishing lake, before bringing her back to his wife Julia Garner, 66, in his coat pocket.

The ex-freight train driver said the bird, who they named Freda, was partially potty trained after she came to live in their three-bed house in April 2021.

The couple even took turns sleeping by the “demanding” bird’s bed while feeding her on a £40 diet of grubs until she flew the nest last October.

But they were amazed when she then re-appeared on their doorstep in April with a ‘boyfriend’ who they nicknamed Fred.

A few months later, they spotted her coming up their drive with her newly hatched brood of ducklings, who have now once again taken up residence in their garden.

Phil said: “Going from one duckling to 11 was chaos. It was like, ‘What do you do with this lot?’ They're now eight inches long and as fat as butter – fluffy, very fluffy.

“They need to swim, they need to wash themselves. So we’ve got tubs everywhere. The garden looks like a bomb site, but I’m not bothered.

“It was a bit sad when Freda first went, but at the same time, it was a bit of a relief because she was hard work, very demanding. It was a double-edged sword.

“But in the back of my mind, I was expecting her to come back because we were told that they imprint on you for life.”

Julia said her husband of 16 years was undergoing treatment for bladder cancer when he first came across Freda. She now considers the duck Phil’s guardian angel’ as he was able to focus his energy on caring for her during that difficult period.

She said: “I wasn't right keen on my home becoming a duck sanctuary at first, but we all adapt.

“And that year, Phil had three operations for cancer and 15 follow-ups. It’s been a tough time for him, and in some ways, Freda helped him through it.

“So she was like his guardian angel. I think she was sent for a purpose.”

Phil said he’d been fishing with his son close to their home when the tiny duck first scuttled up to them.

They tried for hours to find her parents before the grandad of seven took her home after the fishery manager said she would perish if left in the wild.

Phil nursed the chick back to full strength in the comfort of the warm home with Julia’s help, letting Freda roam around their front room, kitchen and garden.

Freda left suddenly left their home in autumn last year after spending a few weeks calling to other ducks she could hear on a lake nearby.

The couple thought they’d seen the last of Freda – until she walked up their drive again on April 3 this year with her ‘boyfriend’, Fred.

One day she emerged from a lavender bush with a posy of tiny ducklings, which are now living in Phil and Julia's garden.

Phil said: “We looked out the front window one morning and saw the little ducklings waddling towards us. They’ve stopped here ever since.”