The duck is nesting at Albion Shipyard in Bristol

Volunteers repairing the historic MV Balmoral at Bristol’s Albion Shipyard have found themselves looking after the unusual stowaway which has laid some eggs there

Volunteers helping to bring the historic boat MV Balmoral back for a pleasure cruise on the Bristol Channel are now looking after a stowaway!

A Mallard duck was seen making a crumpled pile of tarpaulin in Albion Shipyard into a nest for her eggs.

The work is being carried out on the ship thanks to a grant from the National Lottery.

Unperturbed by all the noisy activity around her, the duck made a cozy nest in a crumpled pile of tarp and sat down to lay her eggs, calmly waiting for them to hatch, safe from the usual predators.

This normally takes around 28 days, by which time the ship could have been refloated and returned to its berth alongside the M Shed to welcome thousands of people on board during this year’s Bristol Harbor Festival from 19 -July 21, when he will lead community events on the water.

Wherever the happy event takes place, there will just be the matter of getting the ducklings into the water, but the crew will follow the advice of Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Highbridge, Somerset, to make sure everything goes safely.

Dave Bassett, manager of MV Balmoral, which celebrates its 75th birthday this month, said: “The work being carried out on the ship, thanks to the National Heritage Lottery grant, is vital if we are to make it cruising again , but with the help of Secret World, we hope that both our volunteers and the duck will be able to do their job.”

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