Ducks make their return to Whitby Abbey

After an absence of several months, Whitby Abbey is to regain its Aylesbury ducks this Easter – and they have their very own floating island on the pond by the ruins!

Aylesbury ducks have been living at Whitby Abbey for a few years, although no-one is quite sure how they got there originally as the breed does not fly! However, a pair of females made themselves at home on the pond, and following a public appeal, a male duck was found to keep them company in the hope that they would start their own family of ducks.

Sadly, the original three ducks had moved on, so visitors were facing a season without the popular ducks, until English Heritage found a group of four Aylesbury ducks in East Yorkshire in need of a new home.

“We did contemplate buying some fertilised eggs to raise in our incubator, and then hand-rearing them on site, but they would not be allowed in the water until they have grown their first feathers, so we decided to introduce a group of four full-grown ducks instead. They have made themselves at home on the pond straight away,” says visitor operations site supervisor, and primary carer for the ducks, Kath Trumper.

A friend of a Whitby Abbey team member volunteered to build the new ducks a small floating platform which is secured to the banks, and will provide a safe haven from most of the ducks’ natural predators who might be prowling around the site at night!

The four ducks, which arrived at Whitby Abbey on Monday 22 March, have been donated by a couple based in East Yorkshire, and have not yet been named, so visitors over Easter will be invited to submit their ideas for Kath and her team to choose from. The person who comes up with the winning name will be given a year’s pass to the Abbey as their prize, so that they can return to see the ducks any time they wish!

Whitby Abbey is open daily from 1 April from 10.00am to 6.00pm. Admission prices are £5.80 for adults, £4.90 for concessions and £2.90 for children, or £14.50 for a family ticket (two adults and up to three children). For more information, please call 01947 603568 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/whitbyabbey

For further media information,
please contact: Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk