They're going quackers

8:45am Thursday 17th May 2007

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A BUNCH of barmy ducks were spotted roosting in a most unusual spot this week - perched on the roof of a house in Loudwater.

The five frisky mallards were spied preening their feathers and having a quick snooze on their lofty perch on Monday afternoon, rather than in their usual spot near the stream in Station Road.

Alan Bird, from South Bucks RSPCA, said the fowl could have flown up on the roof as they were feeling frisky and had followed some female ducks.

He said: "They're breeding now, it's spring and they're all getting a bit frisky and where the female goes the male sort of follows and the females try to get away from the males.

"Sometimes the males aren't very receptive but the female thinks I'll go up there and get away from them.

"It's spring and they go into strange places."

But a rooftop is not the normal spot for common mallards.

The birds would normally choose the ground or water as this is where they spend most of their time.

Despite their odd choice of perch, Mr Bird said rooftops were not that uncommon for dippy duck sightings.

He said: "I have seen them on roofs before or in strange places walking around streets where there's no streams.

"It's nothing exceptional. I live in Holmer Green and I see them perched on the little wooden huts on the pond."

He added as long as a rooftop is reasonably flat and there were no sharp bits, which would harm their webbed feet, ducks could easily settle on the bizarre location.

Despite being strong flyers, Mr Bird thought the bevy of barmy quackers would probably only fly as far as The Rye for a change in the scenery.