Mallard ducks hatched in November!

Hi there,

We have a “soak-away” at the end of our paddock, a place for water to gather after large periods of rain. It kind of turns into a mini pond during these times, and it’s been full for the last two weeks after the recent storm. We usually get mallard ducks that enjoy the large body of water, but tonight after taking the dogs out, I accidentally scared them away, and was surprised to hear some peeps coming from the tall grasses. I was confused, so I walked up to the soak-away and shone my light into the grass, to find a baby mallard come running up to me, shivering, and sit right next to my feet. I immediately took the dogs back inside, and waited for around an hour, doing some research, for the mum to return to them. I decided not to touch them tonight, but I know hatching this late that they have a slim chance of survival. Being an animal behaviour and welfare major, I’m struggling with the thought of letting them freeze out there, and with the upcoming storm, i’m so nervous for them. I’m not sure what to do at this point, as I don’t want to take them away from their mother, but I can’t bare the thought of having them die when I could have done something to save them. I’m just after a bit of advice really, I’m going to ring some wildlife rescues tomorrow for advice, but i’d love to get some advice on here too before I do anything drastic. I work at a pet shop where I can buy all the supplies, but again, don’t want to do anything to harm them or scare the mum until I have more advice. 

Hoping someone can help me.

Kayla