Country diary: The slow-motion magic of watching a mallard build its nest | Susie White

Allendale, Northumberland: A pair has been pottering in my garden for a few days, and I witness the moment when she chooses her spot behind a rose bushEach time I pass the window I look outside, as there's always something to notice in this wildlife garden. A perky wren on the drystone wall, a grey wagtail bobbing along the fence, long-tailed tits dancing through the hawthorn. There are binoculars ready on different windowsills.Now it's something as ordinary as a mallard, but it feels intimate to watch the building of a nest from scratch. A pair has been pottering about the garden for a few days and I've woken to the sound of raucous quacking. This morning, the duck was clearly looking for a nest site, traversing in and out of borders, poking about under shrubs and retracing her waddling steps several times. Continue reading...